


White ink

by kihobebe



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Tattoos, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Drinking & Talking, Emotional Constipation, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, M/M, Minor Chae Hyungwon/ Son Hyunwoo | Shownu, Minor Lee Jooheon/Lee Minhyuk, Photographer Yoo Kihyun, Sex Talk, Shin Hoseok | Wonho is a Softie, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Yoo Kihyun Is a Little Shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-28
Updated: 2018-06-12
Packaged: 2019-05-15 00:39:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 34,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14780339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kihobebe/pseuds/kihobebe
Summary: “Kihyun, love’s not a competition. You can love different people in different ways, the important thing is that you love them.”“You know, I thought you were an idiot, but I’d never imagine you’d be such a big one.”*Soulmates are real, but is love so?





	1. It’s shaking up my heart

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone, this beast is finally getting published!! It has been in my drafts for months and I have to thank some people for supporting this whole thing! Thanks to my beta reader B for putting up with me, thanks to A and R for reading it and encouraging me to go on. You're all the best ♡♡♡
> 
> Just to give you a warning, this was inspired by [permanence](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7510000), one of my favourite vmin fics! It's not exactly the same concept but that gave me this idea. 
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy reading this :)

Sometimes Hoseok thinks he’s a lucky man, like that time he was given a coupon for free pizza, or all those mornings he was able to get Hyungwon to pay for his meals when they were hungover. Other times, like today, he reconsiders his luck.

He went for a run in the middle of a sunny day cause just the idea of finishing his essay was giving him a headache. He’s running for twenty minutes when the sky turns gray and rain starts pouring down. To be fair, Hoseok is not one to give up on his workout that easily, but when lightings start showing up, he thinks it’s for the best and makes his way home with a light jog.

Obviously, he arrives at his apartment building completely drenched, and to add some salt to the wound, the lift seems so be stuck on the 11th floor. Patience was never his strong suit, so he starts jamming the call button with all his might in a nervous attempt to make the stupid thing go faster, and starts shivering in his damp clothes that are now sticking to his cold skin.

“I don’t think it’ll come faster even if you do that,” a voice calls from behind him. A snarky response is ready on Hoseok’s lips when he turns around, but he’s not able to utter a single word. He stays there, looking like a gaping fish, the love of his life standing in all of his glorious beauty before his eyes with an easy smile on his lips. A smile that fades little by little when he notes how Hoseok is shaking and wet from head to toe.

“Oh, were you caught in the rain? Do you want my coat while we wait?” the man asks him, proceeding to shrug off the piece of clothing and reaching behind Hoseok’s back to put it on his shoulders. His smiles resurfaces, and Hoseok thinks that he was wrong, and on this day he’s the luckiest man on planet Earth.

“Thank you. You didn’t need to,” he manages to mutter through his chattering teeth.  
“Don’t worry about it. You need it more than I do.”

The white haired man makes small talk while the lift comes down, and Hoseok manages not to make a complete fool of himself by answering some of his questions in short words. Hoseok is about to return the coat to the rightful owner when both of them exit the elevator at the 8th floor, but his neighbour just shakes his head and smiles, gesturing wildly to him.

“You can keep it until you get home. I don’t want you to catch a cold,” he tells Hoseok, teeth shining in the fluorescent light of the hallway, making Hoseok’s head spin just a little. Hoseok just bows his head slightly to thank him.  
“I’m gonna return it soon. Thank you,” he says as his eyes move frantically on everything that isn’t his crush. Minhyuk just moves his hands in a gesture that could mean anything, but that probably means ‘don’t worry about it.’

“Have a nice evening Hoseok-ssi. See you soon!” Minhyuk tells him, while he sends another sunny smile in his direction. Hoseok feels his knees giving out on him whenever Minhyuk wears that happy expression in his near vicinity, but he manages to stand on his feet and wave at him while they part ways.

The story goes like this. One morning before one of his lectures, Hoseok is running late, and doesn’t have the time to get his morning coffee from his favourite café. On any other day he would run to class without missing a bit and he’d get his coffee later during the day, but that particular morning he has a devastating headache caused by his best friend and vodka. He should have known better than challenging Hyungwon in a Super Mario Kart competition involving alcohol, but at that given moment he felt sure of himself.

So now he’s forced to get his caffeine fix in the little coffee shop on campus, and he doesn't even have time to order something fancy that tastes good while probably being bad for his health. A shitty day just from the very start. He goes to the counter and waits for the barista, who’s currently rearranging the pastries, to notice him. When the boy lifts his eyes on him, Hoseok swears his heart stops in his chest, and he’s forced to gulp down a squeal.

The man standing before him is absolutely handsome. He is tall, a little bit taller than Hoseok himself, and lean. His unnatural hair colour suits him in a strange way, makes Hoseok think of sweet marshmallows and soft snow. The smile adorning his face compliments the rest of his perfect facial features and makes his eyes shine in a beautiful way.

“Oh, good morning. I didn’t notice you, sorry. What can I get you?” the guy asks him, with an easy smile that doesn’t seem forced at all. To be smiling that bright at that hour in the morning he must be sunshine personified. Or maybe he’s just crazy.  
Hoseok’s mind is in a state of disarray, not capable of answering right away, he’s freezed on the spot as he stares with big eyes at the human masterpiece standing behind the counter.

“Uhm, sir, is everything alright?”  
“Ah, hmm,” Hoseok coughs a little, hiding his red cheeks behind his hand. “Yes, sorry. Rough morning,” he forces out a chuckle and tries to recompose himself.  
“I’ll have a tall iced coffee, thank you.”

The barista beams at him and asks him to wait just a minute. Being the only customer in the shop, he doesn’t even get asked for his name. If requested, Hoseok would probably give the white haired man even his date and place of birth, and maybe his phone number. Scratch that, he’d give him his phone number for sure, and he’d ask him on a date.

“Iced coffee for you!” his newborn crush calls. Hoseok goes to retrieve his order, catching a glimpse of the clock on the wall.

“Shit.” He’s going to be really late. After paying for his coffee he runs out, not getting the chance to ask for the barista’s name. He curses his luck, but manages to find a seat in the very back of the lecture hall. Finally, he gets to take a sip of his iced beverage, just to to spit it out a second after. It tastes horrible. Now he gets why there wasn’t anyone in the café.

That doesn’t deter him from getting an incredibly bad coffee every morning for the rest of the week, just to get the opportunity of seeing the cute barista. He soon learns that his name is Minhyuk and he’s a very talkative, extremely extroverted guy.

When he meets Minhyuk for the first time in his apartment building, he almost trips down the stairs and breaks his neck. He soon learns that Minhyuk lives just three doors down from his and Hyungwon’s apartment.

They meet three times in the hallway on the 8th floor before Hoseok manages to gather his courage and ask for Minhyuk’s number. It takes him a week to send his first text. He has trouble breathing until Minhyuk answers in less than a minute, and then he’s smiling at his phone like a maniac.

Their conversations range from rants about imminent exams to funny memes and cute pics of kittens and puppies. Hoseok is angry at himself for having wasted so much time, when he could have been friendly with Minhyuk at least for a month now.

Their first date is a casual occurrence: Hoseok is sitting in his favourite coffee shop, sipping on some unsweetened coffee because he needs all the caffeine he can get to finish his neglected assignment. He’s just scrolling through all the tabs open on his laptop when someone plops down on the chair across from him.

Minhyuk smiles at him and Hoseok mind swirls. He’s wearing a black cap on his white hair, and his outfit is all coordinated in the same color, but his presence is enough to brighten the room.

“Hey there, stranger. How you doing?” Minhyuk asks, crossing his legs and sipping loudly from his cup. Hoseok snorts at that, and smiles in return.

“I’m fine. Working on getting my degree. How are you?”  
Minhyuk waves at someone, takes another sip of his drink and then redirects his attention on Hoseok. If he didn’t know he looks hot in his chosen outfit of the day, he would shake under Minhyuk’s attentive scrutiny, but he’s sure the man is just trying to mess with his nerves.

“You’re really hot,” Minhyuk voices, just as Hoseok is taking a sip from his coffee, and he almost chokes on it.

“W-what?”

“What is your workout routine? Maybe I should come with you sometime. You look like you’d be a great partner for every sort of exercise.”  
The innuendo sounds clear in Hoseok’s ears, a flush creeping its way on his cheeks.

“I don’t know. I’m not sure you’d be able to keep up with me. Sorry,” Hoseok retorts after a moment, a bit cocky but still visibly embarrassed.

“Aw, cute,” Minhyuk coos, and then proceeds to open his backpack and scatter all of his belongings on the table.  
“Can I study with you? I promise I’ll keep up,” he winks at Hoseok, wetting his lips in the process.

If there’s something certain in the universe at that point, it’s that Hoseok is completely and utterly whipped.

In the following weeks, Hoseok learns some things.

One is that Minhyuk is always smiling. He’s just like that. His personality is just like his appearance: he’s bright, funny, and he’s a flirt. Which doesn’t do good to Hoseok nerves, but is amusing nonetheless.

Two is that Minhyuk is a social butterfly, and he seems to know everyone around, even one of the baristas that work at Hoseok’s favourite cafè. His name is Changkyun and they’ve been friends for a long time, so now he’s also Hoseok’s friend because Minhyuk thinks friendship is the sort of thing you can pass to others, like a disease. Actually, Hoseok doesn’t mind, Changkyun is funny, and now he even remembers his order.

Three is that Minhyuk can’t shut up. In the rare occasions their study dates are relocated to the library because one of them needs to borrow a book, they end up being forced outside by the angry librarian. Minhyuk always looks sheepish when that happens, and that makes Hoseok’s stomach fill with butterflies.

Four is that Minhyuk is not shy, nor can he keep his hands to himself. Not that Hoseok is complaining. In the last weeks he received his fair share of compliments on his looks, and Minhyuk grabbing his biceps or caressing his abs over his shirt doesn’t help him concentrate on his work, but his ego is lifted for sure.

Hyungwon laughs at him more often than not when he founds Hoseok sitting in their living room, smiling like an idiot at his phone.

“You’re so whipped it’s painful to look at,” he jabs, then inquires: “Why don’t you just ask him out on a real date? I’m sure he’ll say yes.”

 

*

 

Hoseok opens the door of his flat and flings himself in the hallway, running to apartment 807 and knocking with trembling hands before he can lose his courage.  
“Minhyuk, I need to tell you something! Sorry, could you please open up?”  
When the door swings on its hinges, Hoseok has a flush high on his cheeks and his gaze fixed on the floor.

“I think you’re really pretty and I want to take you out on a real date, if you’d let me,” he blurts out, stroking the back of his neck in embarrassment.

“Min, is this the stalker you were talking about? Do I need to punch him in the face? I’m afraid he’s a little too big for me to fight him on equal ground. Maybe I should kick his balls.”

That gets Hoseok’s head to come up and meet eyes that aren’t Minhyuk’s. The stranger is shorter than him, has a sharp jawline and piercing eyes hidden behind round lenses, his hair is brown, not white, and there’s something that doesn’t add up.

“Aw, look at him, he’s cute and embarrassed,” he comments while Hoseok gapes at him, not comprehending the situation.

“Who are you?” he asks then, confused. He’s sure Minhyuk lives in this apartment. He checks the number, out of the corner of his eye: 807. So, who’s this?

At that moment Minhyuk appears in the frame of the door and shoves the other man out of the way, smacking him on his head. He smiles at Hoseok, takes his hand with his slender fingers and jabs an elbow in the brunette’s side, making the other gasp.

“So is this what I get for trying to help a friend out? You’re a shitty housemate, Min,” he asserts, and retreats back in the apartment.

“Sorry about him. That’s Kihyun, my roommate and best friend. I swear he’s lovely once you get past his snarky comments and sarcastic humor.” Minhyuk closes the door behind him and leans on it, still cradling Hoseok’s hand in his.  
“What were you saying?”

“Ha, yes, hm. I’d like to ask you out on a date?” Hoseok tells him, unsure of his words.

“I’d love to, but there’s some things we need to discuss, if I’m being honest, before I agree to this. Would you like to come in?” Minhyuk gently tugs at his fingers, but Hoseok is unsure. The encounter with Minhyuk’s housemate is not something he’d like to repeat in the immediate future.

His inner turmoil must be showing on his face because his crush chuckles and reassures him: “Kihyun is gonna be a good boy and stay in his room.” He then raises his voice and asks: “Won’t you, Kiki?”

A disgruntled noise comes from inside, and Minhyuk smiles his bright smile that makes Hoseok’s knees feel like jelly, so he nods and follows the white haired man inside.

The flat is similar to his and Hyungown’s, in the layout at least. The walls are the same cream colour as theirs, but they are decorated by some really high quality photographies.

“Did you take all of these?” Hoseok inquires. He’s actually a little bit puzzled, Minhyuk told him he’s studying to become a kindergarten teacher and never mentioned having any interest in art in general.

“The photos? No, they’re Kihyun’s. He’s a photography major,” Minhyuk explains as he guides him to a comfy looking couch in the middle of the living room. They sit down on the black leather, facing each other. Hoseok gives him time to start talking while his knee starts to bounce up and down out of nervous energy. He can’t seem to stop it, no matter how hard he tries.

Minhyuk locks his eyes on him and takes his hand again.  
“You know, I told you about my ex, Jooheon. You recall?” Hoseok nods. He remembers well, even though they were at a party, a little bit tipsy, and Minhyuk’s head in his lap made his mind spin more than the alcohol did.

“Well, as I said, it was pretty serious. I never told you this, but I have his tattoo.” Minhyuk opens his shirt with slender fingers, unbuttoning it to show Hoseok a little bee inked in white on his pretty skin. Hoseok’s breath itches in his throat.  
“He’s your soulmate?” he asks, shock evident in his voice. Hoseok has never seen a soulmate tattoo in his life before. The only people he thought could have soulmates tattoos were Hyungwon and his boyfriend, but Hoseok knows their respective marks are painted in red ink on their skin, and they don’t really care about it. Soulmates bonds are weird and rare, Hoseok knows that. His mother told him when she explained how tattoos work, how when you love someone a pretty mark appears on your skin, something peculiar that represents the person you feel love for. Her tattoo, a pretty sunflower, sits at the back of his neck in a rich forest green. The love for your friends is represented by blue, romantic love is red, but colours change like feelings do. They can fade to nothing, and tattoos turn to black. Hoseok has more than he would like to.

Minhyuk nods slowly and covers the tattoo again, redoing the buttons with slow moments. He takes his time before talking again, his eyes distant and with a hint of sadness showing in them.  
“I know soulmate bonds are not something you should shape your life over, because even if the universe thinks you two are perfect for each other, maybe it’s not true. That’s what he did,” Minhyuk pouts a little bit, and Hoseok thinks he’s the prettiest boy he ever met in his entire life. He may not be his own soulmate, but he can still feel love blooming in his heart everytime he looks at him.

“I was really hurt when he decided to move overseas at the start of the semester, and I’m still bitter about it. In all honesty, I’m not sure I’m already over it.” Hoseok puts his hand on Minhyuk’s tight in a comforting gesture, and the other raises his head again and smiles at him.

“I think you’re hot, funny, and really sweet. I’d love to go out with you, but I need you to understand that I may be not totally into you at the moment. You get it?”  
It’s Hoseok’s turn to smile. He knows he has no chance against a real soulmate, but that person is far away, and all the black marks on Hoseok’s skin prove that he that loves with all his heart. He can do this, if it’s for Minhyuk.

“Sure, I get it. Don’t worry. We can take things slow if you want, or just go out together like we used to in the past weeks. I’ll use my charms on you and you’ll soon forget about every other boy in the world,” he tells Minhyuk, sure of his words.

There’s a sound following their exchange, like someone throwing up, and Kihyun appears in the room with cute little bunny slippers at his feet that Hoseok didn’t notice before. How could he have missed that? They’re adorable.  
“I’m not taking relationship advices from someone who wears those,” Hoseok jabs, pointing at Kihyun’s feet. The boy scoffs, shrugging his shoulders.

“I don’t care what you do with your sad love life. Just please stop being so cheesy in my living room, it’s gonna stink of sugar, spice and everything nice.” He retches again, feigning disgust, and covers his mouth with both his hands. Hoseok thinks he’s hiding a smile.

“Kiki, I asked you to play nice,” Minhyuk nags, letting go of Hoseok’s hand and directing a pout at his friend.

Kihyun rolls his eyes and goes in the kitchen, where he starts taking out pots from cabinets.  
“I’m gonna make dinner,” he states and proceeds to ignore them like they weren’t just two meters from him.

Minhyuk sighs, redirecting his attention to the blond seated on his couch.  
“Ignore him. He gets cranky when he’s hungry. In fact, he gets hangry.”

Kihyun turns around and glares at them, but doesn’t add anything.

“I’d ask you to stay for dinner, but I don't think today is the right day,” Minhyuk laughs and Hoseok agrees with him. He’s ushered out with a quick peck on his cheek and a big smile from Minhyuk, and a “I think the bleach you used to get those hair colors got to both of your brains!” shouted from Kihyun. It has been a rather interesting evening.

 

*

 

What Hoseok could never imagine is that now that he was able to properly ask Minhyuk out, they can’t go on a date alone. The problem is not that Hoseok started teaching dance classes to save some money because his finances are looking grim, nor the fact that exams are around the corner. The real problem are their fucking friends.

“So, hyung, am I not your best friend anymore? I heard from Kihyun that you finally asked Minhyuk on a proper date? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Uh, that happened last night…”

“I know that, Kihyun told me!” Hyungwon huffs, annoyed. He’s giving Hoseok a disappointed and offended look.

“How do you even know him?!” Hoseok quizzes, genuinely confused.

“Oh. You remember that photoshoot I did for a photography major? It was Kihyun. We discovered we were neighbours and exchanged numbers. We had lunch together just yesterday. I must have forgotten to tell you!”

Hoseok can’t believe his ears.  
“So you knew Minhyuk had a roommate, you even had a lunch date…” Hoseok pauses, looks with suspicion at Hyungwon who’s know rummaging in their fridge, “...or are we talking multiple ones?”

The answer to his questions goes lost in the depth of the fridge, so he asks again: “Wonnie, are we talking multiple lunch dates? As in ‘we have weekly lunch dates together and bond over sassy comments and annoying our best friends’?”

“We don’t do that. It’s just that Kihyun and Hyunwoo were in the same vocal team for some time and so they know each other. Plus, he pays me in food for the shoots we do together. He’s chill,” Hyungwon tells him, his expression relaxed as he takes the leftovers from the night before to the couch with him.

“He’s what, now? Nevermind… So what you’re telling me is that you knew Minhyuk’s roommate all along and you never thought that you could say something to me? Like ‘Hey hyung, maybe don’t go professing your love at Minhyuk’s door because he doesn’t live alone’?”

Hyungwon hums low in his throat, mouth full of food. Hoseok stares at him until he swallows and answers him.  
“Well, hyung, I didn’t think you were that stupid to begin with.”

Hyungwon is being pushed face first on the couch before he can even blink, tupperware on the floor, Hoseok on top of him.

“You little shit. I’m gonna tighten every lid in this house so you’ll never be able to eat again. You’ll starve and die.”

So now they’re having dinners all together at Minhyuk and Kihyun’s house because, apparently, Kihyun is a good cook and they can’t possibly miss on that.

The little crew is a fun ensemble, Minhyuk brings happiness to everyone and his chatty attitude is well balanced by Hyunwoo, who doesn’t talk much in general. They’re both sweet and caring, and even if they don’t seem to have anything in common, they bond quickly.

Changkyun is a classy man even though he’s a freshman and can’t even boil water without setting something on fire, and him and Hoseok hit it off pretty well. They’re in a similar field, Changkyun studying sound engineering while Hoseok studies music production, so they talk to each other a lot, and genuinely enjoy the other’s company.

Hoseok isn’t really fond of the Hyungwon-Kihyun double threat, but he manages. They’re both too sarcastic and petty, but Hyungwon still remains his best friend, and, actually, Kihyun is a really good cook, so it’s not like Hoseok is going to complain.

So the truth is that their get togethers are really entertaining, and they range from playing video games to board games and even some movie nights. They have fun, Minhyuk is happy, surrounded that people he likes, and Hoseok is happy if he’s happy. That doesn’t lessen his determination to take Minhyuk on a date, just the two of them.

“When are we going to have a date, just me and you?” Hoseok whines, seated on Minhyuk’s couch, half-heartedly watching a drama on the TV. Light footsteps approach him, but he still can’t see Minhyuk from where he’s coming out of the bathroom.

“I just want to hold your hand and cuddle while we look at the sunset. Possibly without obnoxious comments coming from Kihyun’s mouth in the background,” Hoseok continues, a little upset with the lack of response coming from the other.

“Well, I must say I’m a little wounded,” Kihyun tells him, and Hoseok can’t believe he’s doing this again.

“Why are you even here? Weren’t you out somewhere?” Hoseok asks him, because he’s not going to acknowledge the fact that he said those kind of things in Kihyun’s presence. For the second time.

“Actually, I’ve been in my room since you’ve come in and decided what to watch. You two together are so loud.” Kihyun takes a carton of orange juice out of the fridge and starts sipping on it.

When he notes that Hoseok is looking at him he smirks, arches a brow in his direction.  
“I wonder if you’re always that loud,” he muses.

Hoseok turns back to the TV and refuses to acknowledge his presence, even if his cheeks are red and he can’t seem to will them back to their original color.

“Fuck you, Yoo Kihyun.”

 

*

 

It is a fantastic night. Stars are shining bright, as some songs would say, the weather is nice, even if it’s cold. Hoseok is holding Minhyuk’s hand in his and he’s already at least tipsy.

It’s their second official outing together after “the confession,” as Hoseok calls it in his head. They finally managed to go on a date, just the two of them, and it was a wonderful night, full of laughter and kisses on the cheeks, and Hoseok wanted more, but he is waiting patiently for Minhyuk to be ready.

Their idea for that weekend was to go to the movie theatre, but then it came Changkyun’s birthday and they couldn’t say no to his invitation to “the best party you’ll ever be to in your entire life, hyung.”

So here they are, holding each other on one of the ratty couches Changkyun put in his basement, whispering to each other and laughing at their younger friend dancing in the middle of the dancefloor. Hyungwon is looking at him like he is a disgusting rat, while Hyunwoo is dancing along with him. They’re happy.

Even Kihyun seems to be enjoying himself, laughing with a friend of his in a dark corner of the room. His smile is as wide as Hoseok has ever seen on him, and he looks handsome in fitted clothes, his hair combed back, eyeliner smudging his eyes.

“Kihyun is getting some tonight~” he sing-songs to Minhyuk, who turns his head to look in the direction of his friend.

“Nah, that’s Yoongi. They’re like brothers.” Minhyuk returns his attention to Hoseok, kisses his jaw and buries his face in his neck.

“Now that I think about it, they might have hooked up occasionally when we were freshmen,” Minhyuk reasons. It comes out muffled and his words tickle Hoseok, but he’s not complaining.

“They look quite like the power couple. I’m sure they’d be aggressive and sarcastic together, and scare everyone away.”  
Minhyuk laughs at his comment, raising his head from its place as he swats at Hoseok’s chest.

“What are you laughing at? Or better, at whom?” Kihyun’s voice brings them back to reality, and they look up to him in sync.

“At you, actually.” Minhyuk stands up and flicks a finger at his friend’s forehead.  
“I’m gonna go and get us drinks. Wait for my return, my dears,” he exclaims in an overdramatic way, waving at them.

Kihyun lets himself sink in the couch, some space away from Hoseok, and assesses him with a half amused smile.

“You look like a unicorn puked on you,” he comments, eyes raking over Hoseok’s face in a deep scrutiny. Hoseok blows a raspberry at him just for the sake of casual banter.  
“You sound like you never had anything beautiful in your life,” he shoots back, fake concern etched on his face.

Kihyun rolls his eyes so hard they might as well be stuck at the back of his head, and smirks at Hoseok.  
“Whatever.”

“Can I ask you what your problem is? Were you ditched by someone and never recovered the scar it left in your heart?” Hoseok asks, this time with genuine interest seeping into his voice.

“Are you always this cheesy? I think I’m gonna puke.”  
“Yeah, be sarcastic all you want. I see through you,” the blond shoots, making an ‘I see you’ gesture in Kihyun’s direction.

Kihyun huffs a laugh, pushing his cold fingers in a hole of Hoseok’s jeans, just above his knee. The gesture makes Hoseok jump up from his seat, the freezing temperature of Kihyun’s hands making him worry.  
“Ah, so your body is as icy as your soul. I see,” Hoseok states, watching as Kihyun’s fingers trace the little bay leaf tattooed there in black ink, his skin tingling at the barely there pressure. A full body shiver runs through Hoseok and Kihyun seems to realize what he’s doing just in that moment, removing his hand from Hoseok’s thigh a beat too late. He sends an apologetic smile in Hoseok’s direction and folds his hands in his lap.

“It’s just that my heart is so warm, the rest of my body is deprived of heat,” Kihyun jokes, and Hoseok cracks a smile.  
He then turns around, the strange air from before still hanging between them, and he gets a glimpse of Minhyuk at the beverages’ table, trying to fit three cups in his hands. He looks adorable, with a concentrated pout on his face, hair falling in his eyes even as he tries to blow them away, shaking his head side to side.

“You totally have it bad,” Kihyun says, interrupting Hoseok’s thoughts, and there’s a serious note in his voice that sounds a little out of place in the kind of conversation they’re having. Hoseok reverts his eyes back on Kihyun, trying to decipher the younger’s expression, but failing miserably. He’s sure one day he’ll be able to understand Kihyun, but today is still not that day.

“You’re right, I have it bad. I think I found the one.”  
Kihyun looks at him with disbelief clear in his eyes, mouth downturned in a grimace.

“Please stop saying those kind of things. You seem like a clueless idiot,” he affirms. At that, Hoseok laughs, showing his gummy smile, “Remember? I don’t take relationship advices from you,” he says, turning in the direction of the dancefloor and getting a glimpse of his friends. Hyungwon and Hyunwoo are now dancing together, if jumping up and down on the spot could be considered as dancing. They’re laughing, heads thrown back and eyes focused on each other, and Hoseok feels his heart growing three sizes at the sight.

Kihyun seems to be looking at them too, because he emits a sigh and sinks more in the couch cushion before speaking again.  
“Do you believe in soulmates because of them?” he inquires, jerking his head in the general direction of the dancefloor.

“I never said I believe in soulmates. I’m just sure Minhyuk is a very good man with a big heart full of love.” Hoseok taps his fingers on his knee in a nervous gesture. He doesn’t like where this conversation is headed to. The glares he gets when he’s out on the streets in revealing clothes are enough, he doesn’t need to hear any lecture by Kihyun about love and soulmates.

Kihyun just shakes his head, humming low in his throat.  
“Hyungwon told me you said you’ve found your soulmate the first time you met Min, so no need to bluff,” he says.  
Even if the thought of Minhyuk being his soulmate brushed Hoseok’s mind and he really told those words to Hyungwon, reality crushed his hopes soon enough. The little tattoo he got on his left hip was cherry red, like any other tattoo he got when he had a crush in the past.  
“Honestly, I’m afraid you both are a little too romantic for your own good,” Kihyun affirms, glancing at Hoseok to see his reaction..

Hoseok scoffs, not believing his ears.  
“Honestly,” he mimics, “I’m afraid you’re a little too cynical for your own good. What is wrong with you? Can’t be happy for your friend?”

Kihyun crosses his arms over his chest and fixes his eyes on Hoseok’s face. "It’s not that. I just am sceptic about love and soulmates and all that shit. How can you be sure Min is the right one? He has a soulmate out there, so maybe he’ll never love you as he loved Jooheon. Are you okay with that?" At that, he directs him a pitying glance and gets up, turning his back to Hoseok, who catches his wrist before he can retreat.

“Kihyun, love’s not a competition. You can love different people in different ways, the important thing is that you love them.”  
Kihyun snatches his hand away from his grip, and gives him a sad smile.

“You know, I thought you were an idiot, but I’d never imagine you’d be such a big one.”

"How is that relevant in this kind of conversation?!" the blond asks, exasperated.  
"Don't know, just thought I should have told you the last time you accidentally declared your feelings for my best friend to me. Pretty pathetic if you want my two cents."

Hoseok lets go of his wrist as if it burns, emitting a loud gasp.  
“What the fuck, really, Kihyun? What’s your fucking problem with me and Minhyuk being a thing? Do you hate me so much?” he shouts as he stands up, making some heads turn in their direction.

Kihyun levels him with an icy stare, at which the blond settles again in his seat and shrinks, making his bulky figure look much less intimidating. Hoseok can see that Kihyun is pissed by the way he clenches and unclenches his fists at his sides, but he sits himself across from Hoseok anyway, and squints at him.

“Listen up, big boy, I don’t know who do you think you’re talking to, but I’m not a cold hearted bitch, nor do I have the time in my life to even have an opinion on you, let alone hate you.” He runs a hand through his locks and takes a long breath, looking at the people dancing some meters from them.

“I don’t have anything against you and Minhyuk. He’s my best friend and I want him to be as happy as possible, and I’ve seen you’re actually pretty good to him. What you need to understand,” he pauses, turning around and glancing at Hoseok, “is that he already lost a soulmate, and I don’t really know how these things work, but that was not funny. You weren’t there when that happened.”

Kihyun’s steely eyes seem to soften at that, making him look less dangerous. “But I was. And it wasn’t pretty and easy as he’d like you to think. He lost so much weight I thought I would need to force feed him at some point. He may seem all sunny and always happy, but he has his problems like everyone does. So, what I ask of you is to be cautious. I ask you to leave your needs aside for a moment and think before you speak about love and that kind of bullshit.” He gets up again, straightening his clothes.

“I must add that if you ever break his heart I’m gonna come at you and crush your skull with my bare hands. Understood?” He doesn’t wait for an answer, turns around and leaves Hoseok alone, mouth gaping and mind swirling, both from the speech Kihyun just gave him and the alcohol he still has in his body.

“What was that?” Hyungwon demands, seating himself near Hoseok, pushing his feet in his lap.  
“That, Wonnie, was Kihyun being a really good friend.” he says, eyes still trained on Kihyun’s retreating figure.

 

*

 

They manage to go on exactly three dates. Everything is perfect, and then shit goes down.

Hoseok is just going to say hi to Minhyuk at the café, give him a peck and then he’ll head to the library and finish his essay. This is his plan for that morning. Things rarely go as planned.

Hoseok senses something’s strange the moment he opens the cafè’s door. Someone is sitting at the counter, brown hair that is not Kihyun’s because it misses his undercut. He doesn’t recognize the stranger, dressed in dark jeans and a white sweater, yet he’s talking to Minhyuk, who’s standing behind the counter, eyes trained on his shoes.

“...and I know I hurt you, I’m so sorry about that. Kihyun-hyung sent me death threats through email, and never told me how you were, but I know that I broke your heart. And I broke mine too. Anytime something good happened, I wanted to turn around and tell you about it, even though you weren’t there. Happy days weren’t really happy without you.”

The man pauses, sighs, looks at Minhyuk who won’t raise his eyes from the floor. Hoseok is stuck in the entrance of the coffee shop, incapable of moving, incapable of breathing. He wants to turn around and run away, but his legs won’t answer his will.

The man goes on.

“I love you, Minhyuk. With all my heart. You wouldn’t be listening to me if you didn’t at least miss me a bit. I was hoping you would give me a chance to prove you how much I adore you and how much I missed you. Now I know I can’t live this life if not with you by my side.”

Hoseok can see tears start rolling down from Minhyuk’s eyes, he wants to reach for him, hug him and tell him everything’s going to be alright. At that moment, Minhyuk raises his head and sees him at the door. A hiccup leaves his lips, tears hot on his face as he looks Hoseok straight in the eye and starts sobbing. The other man doesn’t turn around, his attention turned completely on Minhyuk and his crying.

“Hey, hey, Min, I’m sorry.” he whispers, voice quivering, taking Minhyuk’s hand.

Hoseok feels like he’s going to puke if he doesn't get out of there. Minhyuk is still watching him, so he gives him a sad smile, a light nod of the head and runs out.

He doesn’t stop running until he’s home. He takes the stairs three at a time, runs until he’s in apartment 803 and he’s crumbling on his bed, sobbing.

Hyungwon finds him there, laying on his stomach, snot on his face. His best friend sits beside him, takes his head and puts it in his lap, and he starts combing his fingers through Hoseok’s blond hair. It’s a comforting gesture, he would start crying again if he still had water in his body. Instead, he lets the sweet heat of Hyungwon lull him to sleep.

He doesn’t know how many hours they stay like that, but at some point someone is ringing their doorbell. Hyungwon is careful in getting up, lays Hoseok’s head down on the cushion and goes to answer the door. In his semi-awake state, he hears some commotion, some loud whispering and some pleading. After a beat of silence the door to his bedroom swings gently open, someone enters and sits near his middle on the bed.

“Hoseokkie,” Minhyuk whispers, his voice gentle and strained as if he was using all his strength just to say his name. Hoseok doesn’t want to look at him, but he can’t resist when Minhyuk calls him again, caresses his cheek with careful hands.

He lifts his head and open his eyes, red rimmed and puffy, just as Minhyuk’s. He nuzzles his face in Minhyuk’s hand, gives him a peck on the palm. He sniffles, and sits to face the other man, who has taken both of Hoseok’s hands in his.

“Hyung, I’m sorry. I really am,” he murmurs, moves his eyes on everything else but Hoseok.  
“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I know, Min. It’s not your fault. We talked things through from the beginning, I should have known better.”  
When he tries to talk again, Minhyuk starts crying, little sobs wracking his body. He settles for hugging Hoseok, keeps him close to his chest and asks for forgiveness.

“I don’t want to lose you. You’re my friend, and I hope you could forgive me and stay in my life. What you saw… Jooheon… was really unexpected.” Minhyuk pauses, takes a shuddering breath. He lets go of Hoseok. Tears are still rolling down his pretty face and Hoseok uses the sleeve of his sweater to dry them. Minhyuk starts crying harder. “When I thought about the possibility of Jooheon coming back, I was ready to slap him and tell him to go fuck himself. You saw how that plan went.”

Minhyuk laughs bitterly, teardrops still running down his cheeks, and Hoseok knows he’s a little heartbroken too. Sadly, Hoseok knew the day would come. He saw the white tattoo on Minhyuk’s chest, in a flash that he wish he could delete from his memory, and he knew things between them would probably never work out as he wanted. That didn’t stop him from falling in love with Minhyuk, but his heart was the only one to blame.

“Minhyukkie, you don’t have to worry this much. I’m not going anywhere, I’ll be right next to you. Maybe it will take some time, but I’m sure we’ll be as good as new. I’m happy if you are.” Hoseok shakes his head, and then stands up, takes Minhyuk by the hand.

“Let’s go. I want ice cream. You wanna come?”  
Minhyuk’s smile isn’t as bright as usual, but he takes that as a yes.  
“We’ll make Hyungwon pay,” Hoseok proposes, and adds: “Better fill me in on what that asshole said to get you back. I might need to learn a thing or two.”

They laugh. The air between them is not clear, however, they’ll get there.

 

*

 

Hoseok is sporting black sunglasses this morning on campus. Crying all night about his pathetic love life didn’t do any good to his eyes, so he’s changing up his always impeccable style and hiding his puffy face behind big lenses. A black and yellow scarf is tied around his neck, a birthday gift from Hyungwon ‘for being such a fucking Hufflepuff.’

Honestly, he’d rather be anywhere else than going to class at 8 in the morning, but he can’t afford to skip this lecture. He needed a little push (read: Hyungwon barging in his room and throwing him off of the bed) to get moving, yet he did. Hoseok’s proud of himself. He even managed to get his favourite coffee in town, so things could be worse.

It’s when he starts feeling like the day won’t be as terrible as he thought, that someone comes crashing against him and pushes him against a near wall. He gets socked in the stomach and doubles over, spilling his coffee on the concrete. His hand gets burned, however, he doesn’t even have time to hiss a curse before he’s again pinned to the building behind his back.

The attacker has one hand curled viciously at the lapel of his jacket, the other arm against his windpipe. Hoseok coughs a little and gets showed so that his head hits the wall.  
He had better mornings.

Blinking away the tears caused by the blow, he finally meet Kihyun’s eyes.

“Really?” he chokes out, and he’d laugh, if the situation was different. Hoseok could probably easily overpower the skinny Kihyun with his hand tied behind his back, but now his head hurts, his hand is burned and he just wants to go to class.

A low growl comes out from Kihyun’s throat, the look on his face is totally unamused.  
“Yeah, really.”

“Could you please spare my face? I need to go to class,” Hoseok tells him, and he would be scared of the dirty glare Kihyun gives him, but at the moment he’s just so, so tired. He really doesn’t care.

“You think this is a joke?” Kihyun gets closer to his face before going on. “I warned you about breaking Minhyuk’s heart.”

Hoseok doesn’t want to laugh, but his body seems to think this is one of those situation that requires a good chuckle that gets past his lips without his permission. Probably he didn’t get enough sleep last night.

Kihyun takes a step back without letting go of his jacket.  
“What the fuck is wrong with you?”

Hoseok’s laugh resonates in the air, high and loud, and the shock on Kihyun’s face makes the blond exhilarated. He finds himself gasping for air, little tears filling his vision behind the sunglasses.

Obviously, Kihyun looks at him like he’s lost his mind.

“Have you hit your head?” Kihyun asks, worry starting to creep in his eyes.  
Hoseok’s laughter doesn’t subside, until he’s crying, his body slumped against the building, hands coming to cover his face.

A baffled Kihyun stands beside him, watching in horror as wrenching sobs start to shake Hoseok’s figure. Just moments before he wanted to hit Hoseok in the stomach and go on with his life. Now he’s forced to look at him while he’s obviously having some sort of mental break down. What even is his life?

At the back of his mind, Hoseok knows he’s causing a scene. Students are passing by and he’s getting some pitying gazes for sure. He curls his body into a ball and is able to calm down a little, his breathing coming out troubled, but no more sobs escaping his lips.

Squatting down, Kihyun offers him a tissue, not looking in his direction. Hoseok grabs it with a soft thanks and wipes the teartracks and snot from his face, removing his sunglasses. At this point he doesn’t care if everyone sees him like the mess he actually is. Fuck society, he wants to cry all day long, curled in his bed with a big bunny plushie.

“Sorry.”  
Hoseok turns his head so fast in Kihyun’s direction that he’s given whiplash.

“W-what?” he asks incoherently. Like, what?

“I said sorry,” Kihyun grunts, fixing his gaze on Hoseok’s shoes.

Silence fills the space between them, until Hoseok regains control of his emotions and socks a fist in Kihyun’s face with more force than strictly necessary for a good punch.

The situation would be comical, given that Kihyun falls on his butt and emits a really high pitched scream.  
This time Hoseok doesn’t laugh.

“Sorry?! Sorry, my ass. Did you even talk to Minhyuk? Do you know what happened?” Hoseok shrieks, standing up.

People are stopping their morning ministrations to find out what is the cause of this commotion, but at this point he doesn’t care about a thing.  
His grip on Kihyun’s leather jacket is strong, and he uses it to bring the man to his feet.

“Have you any vague idea of how things went down? Or are you just angry at the world and want to take it out on someone?” Hoseok shakes him back and forth, Kihyun’s hands covering his probably bloodied nose.

In just a second their position is reversed, this time having Kihyun with his feet in the air and back pinned to the wall, one of Hoseok’s hand closing on his neck.

“Just. Fuck. Off.”

Every word is punctuated by a little push of Kihyun’s head against the bricks. He probably has a concussion by now, but Hoseok couldn’t care less. That’s what he gets for being a little shit.

“Hey! Let him go!” someone shouts behind his back, and suddenly his body is forced away from Kihyun’s slumping figure. Broad arms pick him up and he’s taken away, while his eyes stay trained on Kihyun, who’s now being helped on his feet by some girl.

“I hope you choke, bitch!” he screams in that direction.  
It takes him a moment to realize that the man who is dragging him away has a very familiar pair of shoulders.

“Hyunwoo?”  
“Hoseok, what the hell was that? Are you out of your mind?”

“Yep, I think I might be?” it comes out as a question, however, he’s really not sure about his mental stability at the moment.

“Would you please bring me back home?” he pitifully asks. Hyunwoo puts Hoseok’s feet on the ground, side-hugging him.  
“Let’s go.”

 

*

 

When Minhyuk discovers what happened that morning, he immediately calls Hoseok.

“Hyung, are you ok?”

“Minhyuk-ah, yes, all good.”

“Kihyun told me what happened. He’s a fucking moron, I can’t believe he jumped at your throat without reason!”

“Min…”

“I’m really sorry about it. He’s gonna catch these fists as soon as I get home.”

“Mmh, about that…”

“I can’t believe his guts! What was he gonna do, punch you just because this morning I cried over my cereals? He’s sure good at jumping to conclusions. I’m gonna skin him alive, I swear. How could he? He made you cry in the middle of campus!”

“Yes, Min, but didn’t he tell you…”

“He just told me via text! And now he won’t answer my calls. That brat! I’m gonna drop kick him. Why is he like that? I’m touched by his loyalty, but fuck, he didn’t even ask me what was wrong! He just assumed things.”

“Minhyuk-ah, there’s something I think you should know…”

“And he has the audacity to text me! He sends me a text because he’s a fucking coward. I’m gonna make him apologize, don’t worry. He’s gonna make the best ‘forgive me’ cookies he’s ever made in his short, useless life, and bring it over for you tonight.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Minhyuk, what did Kihyun text you?”

“Mmh, let me put you on speaker.”  
There’s shuffling on the other end of the line, and then Minhyuk’s voice reads the text aloud.

“‘Min, before someone else tells you, I made Hoseok cry this morning. I thought he broke up with you. If you see him or hear from him, tell him I’m sorry.’ Can you believe the audacity?”

“Minhyuk-ah, I punched him in the face. I think I broke his nose.”

The silence that follows is interrupted only by the static on the line. Hoseok holds his breath.

“Sorry, hyung, I think I misheard what you said. You did what?!”

“I punched him.”

“...Well. He sure deserved it.”

“No, Minhyuk, he didn’t! I don’t know what came onto me, I was like possessed! Maybe he has a concussion because of me! I’m the one who should be sorry.”

“Ah, hyung, don’t, please.” Minhyuk takes a breath, murmurs something Hoseok can’t hear.  
“I’m gonna hang up now, hyung. I’ll try to call Kihyun and see if he’s ok. That fucking idiot. You are twice his size! What was he thinking?”

The call is cut off, and Hoseok puts his phone on his bedside table after checking the time. In 30 minutes he needs to be at his dance lesson, even though today he doesn’t feel like going anywhere at all. Laying on his bed for the rest of the day and not talk or interact with anyone seems like the best possible option.

Obviously, that’s not possible, so he gets up and manages to throw some clothes in a bag, changing out of his morning outfit and putting on sweats and a big hoodie. At least he could be comforted by the warm fabric.

Probably at this point he just needs a cuddle session with his best friend, but Hyungwon won’t be home until later, so he just needs to endure his pain a little longer. He can do that.

 

*

 

When Hoseok comes back home after his awful day, he’s ready to launch himself face first on his bed, and he has all intentions of not leaving it for the rest of the weekend ahead. What he doesn’t expect is Kihyun sitting with his legs crossed in front of the door to his apartment. Kihyun’s left eye is swollen and red, just like the bridge of his nose, and Hoseok would like to say he’s not proud of it, but that would be a blatant lie.

Kihyun sees him getting off the elevator and springs to his feet, arms full of what seems to be some sort of tupperware, somber expression on his face that doesn’t match with his fluffy slippers.

“Please, move aside,” Hoseok says as he gets near his door, ready to put his keycode in and leave Kihyun behind with whatever he prepared to ask him forgiveness. The shorter boy easily complies, getting out of his space but still standing near the door, emanating a worried aura that makes Hoseok sigh and turn in his direction.

“What do you want?” he asks, annoyance clear in his voice and his stance, arms folded over his chest. Kihyun’s eyes stay fixed on a point just above Hoseok’s shoulder, slightly out of focus, as he extends his arms and pushes the tupperware in his hands towards Hoseok. There’s dried blood on his upper lip and Hoseok suddenly feels bad at the sight.

Kihyun makes sure he takes the package before speaking, eyes still looking everywhere but at the older man. “I’m sorry,” he suddenly blurts out, staring at the cookies held in Hoseok’s hands. “I made those because I wanted to say I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have attacked you this morning,” he finishes, watching as Hoseok inserts the code and opens the door to his apartment.

“Did you put ice on that?” Hoseok asks him, stopping just before the entrance and really looking at Kihyun’s face now that they’re closer. Kihyun winces, his hands coming up to cover his nose and carefully nodding his head. “I went to the hospital and had it checked out. You didn’t break anything,” he says, voice muffled by his little hands still covering half of his face. The short laugh that comes out of Hoseok is totally unintentional.

“Pity,” he tells him, sarcasm dripping from his tone as Kihyun finally looks at him and smiles. He stands there, eyes red rimmed, nose swollen, showing his teeth in a real smile. Not a smirk, not a grin, a genuine smile that reaches his eyes and turns them into little crescents. Hoseok is taken aback for a moment, his witty comment about how he should have punched him harder dying on the tip of his tongue.

“I deserved to be punched. I’m really sorry, Hoseok,” Kihyun repeats, and Hoseok really wishes he had a stronger resolve. Sadly, he’s nothing but a weak man. “Do you want some tea?” he asks, shaking the box of freshly baked cookies in the air between them. Kihyun’s eyes widen in surprise and he flinches, probably cause his nose is hurting and he’s masking it with his extremely effective poker face. “I don’t want to intrude, and I should probably put more ice on my face. Thank you for the offer,” he politely declines, nods his head once in Hoseok’s direction and retreats towards his flat, bunny slippers hitting the floor in little hurried steps.

It’s not like a switch has been flipped between them, because they still bicker and Kihyun still seems not to like him much, but things get better. Some merit goes to Jooheon, who is now Kihyun’s favourite target for sarcastic comments and icy glares.

When Jooheon joins them for the first time during one of their weekly night meetings, Kihyun casually forgets to cook for him too. They’re all sitting in Kihyun and Minhyuk’s kitchen, waiting for Kihyun to bring food to the table, casually chatting about meaningless things. There’s tension in the air, Jooheon is sitting stiffly between Minhyuk and Changkyun, his eyes restless as he looks around the room, clearly uncomfortable under Hyungwon’s pointed stare.

“Can someone help me with these?” suddenly Kihyun asks, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he directs them in Hoseok’s direction and gestures to the dishes full of lasagna. Hoseok stands up to help, but Hyungwon beats him to it, getting up in a rush that seems out of place. The pair carry the food to the table, bickering about the right lasagna recipe (as if Hyungwon knew how to cook at all), and all plates are served. Hoseok hears Minhyuk sigh before he realizes what’s going on. “Kihyun. Where’s Jooheon’s portion?” he asks, resignation clear in his voice as he levels his best friend with an unimpressed look.

“Whoops?” Kihyun says, a smirk on his face that makes it clear he’s not sorry at all. Hyungwon snickers behind his hand, not subtle at all, and Minhyuk is clearly pissed, if the way he pinches the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger is anything to go by. The night goes on, and at some point Hoseok feels really sorry for Jooheon, who’s being bombarded with snarky comments and scoffs by both Kihyun and Hyungwon. He even kicks his best friend a little under the table when he feels like poor Jooheon can’t take it anymore, but Hyungwon just shrugs at him and proceeds to help Kihyun in roasting the younger man.

Slowly, after that first horrible night that left Minhyuk with a terrible headache, things get better. Jooheon wins everyone’s love with his cute dimples and sweet smile, even though Kihyun is still unconvinced and can’t help being meaner than necessary on occasion. Sometimes Hoseok jabs his elbow against his ribcage to let him know he’s being a little shit, and Kihyun gives him nasty glares that should scare Hoseok, but at this point he just smiles at him and goes back to the conversation at hand.

Hoseok’s life goes back to a normal pace, where everyone fits, where he can go on friendly dates with Minhyuk without feeling his heart ripping in half, where Jooheon is a sweet person and Hoseok knows him and Minhyuk are soulmates, of the real kind. He doesn’t need to see the white tattoo on Jooheon’s left forearm to have confirmation on the matter, they just perfectly fit with each other and Hoseok would lie if he said he doesn’t want the same thing for himself.

Going out with his group of friends becomes an easy way not to think about all those tattoos scrawled in black on his skin, all those loves he thought were real but left him with nothing but dark ink and curious glances from people. Parties and alcohol help him forget all about that stupid feeling called love, he dances his thoughts away with Hyunwoo and drinks vodka with Hyungwon because that’s what they’re good at. He seeks Kihyun’s company probably more than he should, the other always ready to drown any of Hoseok’s loud thoughts with impossible dares that might get them in trouble a couple of times, but that entertain them to no end.

It’s Kihyun who finds him sitting outside of their apartment building one night he comes home drunk and he’s feeling like shit, his thoughts restless in his head, and he can’t take being trapped between four walls with them. Hoseok is sitting quietly on the little splotch of grass their landlord likes to call a garden, head resting in his hands, when suddenly Kihyun plops down next to him.  
“What’s up?” he asks, bumping his shoulder against Hoseok’s, a little smirk on his face that doesn’t hide the concern in his eyes.  
Hoseok just shakes his head in Kihyun’s direction, not raising his gaze to look him in the eyes. He’s afraid of what Kihyun would see in them, but he’s even more scared of seeing pity directed towards him.  
“Are you ok?” Kihyun insists, and Hoseok just shakes his head again, still stubbornly looking at the ground below his black shoes.

Kihyun sighs, his hand patting lightly Hoseok’s thigh wrapped in black skinny jeans, right above where he knows the little leaf is tattooed on Hoseok’s skin.  
“Do you want some ramen?” he inquires suddenly, his hand gently squeezing Hoseok’s muscles in a comforting gesture. The blond nods enthusiastically this time, and Kihyun huffs a laugh through his teeth, standing up and brushing grass off his slacks. Hoseok observes Kihyun as he turns again in his direction and offers him his hand to help him up from the ground. He didn’t realize until now that Kihyun is dressed to impress, hair styled up and away from his face, putting his sharp cheekbones in the spotlight. He’s wearing makeup too.

Hoseok accepts the hand Kihyun is offering him, but instead of using it as leverage to get up, he tugs at it, making Kihyun stumble towards where he’s sitting, his face lowering at eye level with Hoseok. His eyes are honey coloured, Hoseok registers, and his brain tells him that he’s wearing lenses, because Kihyun’s eyes are usually darker and softer. Kihyun blinks at him a couple of times, waiting, as if he wants Hoseok to do something. His thumb brushes slowly over Kihyun’s left cheekbone, where highlight is illuminating his skin, and Hoseok asks himself when did his hand move on his own accord to cup Kihyun’s face. Kihyun blinks again, slower this time, his mouth moving and forming words that Hoseok’s ears don’t pick up.

“Where did you go tonight?” Hoseok asks him, voice quiet as if he was worried of scaring Kihyun away from his touch. Maybe he is.  
“I had a date,” Kihyun tells him. Hoseok’s thumb caresses Kihyun’s lower lip before the brunette’s words sink in. He immediately lets go of him, and Kihyun goes back to his full stature, hand still clinging to Hoseok to help him up. “With Yoongi,” he goes on, tugging at Hoseok’s hand until the other is on his feet.

“We went clubbing.” Kihyun’s tongue skims over his lips, where Hoseok’s finger was just moments before, and his hand squeezes lightly Hoseok’s fingers before letting go.  
“So, do you want ramen or not? I can cook for you,” he tells the blond, sending a little smile in his direction.

“If I ever turn down an offer like this, just know that it isn’t me and I’ve been abducted by aliens,” Hoseok jokes, following after Kihyun’s laughter in the lobby.

 

*

  
“Are you ok?”

Hoseok is standing on a balcony, gaze overlooking the pretty city lights shining in the distance, a bottle of beer still full held in his right hand. He came out just to breathe some fresh air, the atmosphere inside the house being too stifling, making him regret coming to the party in the first place. The music was too loud, the people too clingy, and he suddenly felt like his lungs couldn’t work properly, his feet immediately taking him to a more silent and safer place.

The sound of footsteps is clear in the quiet night, and suddenly Kihyun is at his side, elbows resting on the railing, face turned in the direction of the sky where stars can’t be seen. Hoseok ignores his presence, his mind still focused on following the headlights of the cars passing by, his vision being clouded by little luminous spots whenever he moves his eyes.

“Hey, are you ok?” Kihyun asks again, this time lightly nudging Hoseok’s side with his shoulder.  
“This is just my second beer and I’m not even drinking it. There’s no need to be concerned,” he answers, gesturing to the bottle still held tight in his hand. Kihyun snorts, a sound that startles Hoseok and makes him look in the brunette’s direction. Kihyun snatches Hoseok’s beer from his hand, a big smile that displays his pointy teeth plastered on his face.

“I was not talking about being drunk. Are you alright? Like, in general?” Kihyun insists, his gaze burning holes through Hoseok as if he would like to read his mind. Hoseok shrugs, taking his beer back and gulping down some of it. He can’t have a conversation about his feelings on a sober mind, especially not with Kihyun. The latter’s gaze stays focused on Hoseok, the ghost of a smirk still playing at the corner of his lips.

“I’m good,” he takes another swig, enjoying the bitter taste of beer on his tongue, “Good enough. Why are you asking? Did Minhyuk send you to check on me?”  
His eyes travel to the glass door that leads inside, as if he was expecting to see Minhyuk standing there, hand in hand with Jooheon, watching over them with a concerned expression on his face. There’s no one there, just people passing by inside the house and enjoying the party.

Kihyun sighs and crosses his arms over his chest, rolling his eyes in the process. Hoseok is always amazed by how many times Kihyun can roll his eyes in a short span of time, it’s his second nature so he does it without thinking, Hoseok believes. Kihyun’s tiny fingers are tapping a rhythm on his own skin and his eyes are still fixed on Hoseok with an intensity that makes the blond shiver. He blames it on the chill wind.

“Minhyuk. Right. How are you feeling about things with Minhyuk?” he asks, eyebrows knitted in a worried expression, his lips slightly sticking out in a little pout. Hoseok chews on the inside of his cheek before coming up with an answer, his nervous behaviour making Kihyun take a step closer to him, concern clearly written all over his face.

“I didn't take you for someone who cares, not for me at least,” Hoseok scoffs, taking a step back and resting his back against the railing. He can see Kihyun’s sharp eyes glinting in the dark, but the brunette doesn't take the bait, his mind staying focused on his task: getting Hoseok to talk. He just smiles at the blond, his features turning suddenly soft as he points to some stairs that seem to lead on the roof of the house.

“Do you want to go there and sit for a little while? A stargazing date with me?” Kihyun jokes, and Hoseok almost chokes on his tongue. He doesn't point out that the stars aren't visible because of light pollution, he just nods his head once and follows the younger’s steps.  
Kihyun plops down ungracefully on the little bench standing in a corner of the terrace at the top of the building, his hand patting at the space next to him in an invite for Hoseok to sit beside him.

“Are you sure Minhyuk didn’t talk you into doing this?” Hoseok asks, occupying the empty space on the cold metal bench, his eyes fixed on the dark sky even though the only thing that’s visible is the silver moon, shining over their heads.  
“I’m sure,” Kihyun sighs loudly, and Hoseok can feel his stare burning the side of his face. He doesn’t need to look to his right to know that Kihyun is rolling his eyes yet another time, but he jumps up in surprise when he feels Kihyun’s cold fingers digging into his forearm. Hoseok forgot to bring his jacket out with him, so his shirt is the only thing shielding him from the frosty cold of winter. Kihyun’s freezing skin isn’t helping.

“I know I said I don’t have time to care about you, but that was before, when you were potentially going to break Minhyuk’s heart and I was thinking about protecting my best friend yet another time,” Kihyun says, and Hoseok’s brain supplies him with the information that this is the longest sentence Kihyun has ever said to him.  
“And in the end it was you who ended up being heartbroken. I’m sorry about being a jerk,” Kihyun squeezes his bicep in a comforting way, but still doesn’t let go of him, his freezing skin against Hoseok’s being the only thing that stops the blond from starting to cry like a baby.

“Well. You were a jerk for sure,” Hoseok attempts to lighten the mood, but his voice comes out shaky and he can feel Kihyun’s grip on him getting tighter, his eyes still avoiding looking in the shorter’s direction. Kihyun huffs a short laugh anyway, his thumb grazing lightly over Hoseok’s soft skin in short strokes. The blond is grateful for the gesture, but he’s still unsure about emptying the content of his heart into Kihyun’s hands.

“If I’m being honest here, I would have preferred if it was you instead of Jooheon,” Kihyun wriggles his nose in distaste, the little dimple under his eye making a brief appearance and drawing a smile on Hoseok’s face.  
“I don’t agree. Minhyuk already has his soulmate, it’s just right that they stay together,” Hoseok reasons, casually bumping his shoulder against Kihyun’s. The brunette scoffs, giving Hoseok a disbelieving look.

“I swear, that’s the truth. I’m just,” Hoseok pauses and takes a long breath, his left hand coming up to cover his face and massage his temples, “I promised myself I wouldn’t get red tattoos anymore. This is what I do. I fall in love with people that won’t ever love me back and then cry like an idiot, because that’s what I really am. You were right, I’m just a big idiot.”

Hoseok promised himself not to cry anymore over Minhyuk, but the feeling of Kihyun touching his skin in a calming pattern and the sincere concern in his eyes make the big knot in his throat, which he didn’t know was there, finally loosen up. Hot tears start pooling at the corners of his eyes, so he brings his hands up to cover them, his elbows resting on his knees while little hiccups shake his body. He can feel Kihyun’s hand slowly rubbing his back, his legs pressed against him as he shushes him quietly. “It’s ok, let it out,” he says, and Hoseok does just that, pathetically whining in his palms while Kihyun comforts him with meaningless words.

When he feels calmer, he sits up on the bench, rubbing at his eyes until the tears disappear from his face, leaving it read and puffy. Kihyun is still caressing his back in slow circles, and all Hoseok would like to do now is curl up in a ball and let Kihyun lull him to sleep with touches and words. Instead, he sniffles until he feels like talking won't make him break down in tears again and he smiles sadly at Kihyun.

“I’m sorry,” he utters, his eyes red and liquid. Kihyun’s hand leaves his back just to reposition itself above Hoseok’s knee.  
“Don’t be. It’s ok to be sad. I honestly don't get it because I’m cold hearted and I don't care about people, but it’s ok.” Hoseok’s grin grows wider, his fingers squeezing Kihyun’s in a silent thank you.

“You’re not cold hearted. Your heart is so warm the rest of your body is deprived of heat,” Hoseok quotes, his eyes as sparkly as the moon still shining in the dark sky. Kihyun’s eyes disappear when he smiles back at him, a little laugh escaping his lips. He stands up suddenly, stretching on the tip of his toes and looking back at his blond companion.

“Do you want ice cream? It’s my treat for making you cry,” he affirms, gesturing vaguely at the houses and shops below them. Hoseok nods excitedly, his head bobbing up and down several times and making Kihyun’s gaze light up with mirth.  
“Let’s go. I bet I can guess all your favourite flavours.”

 

*

 

Loud knocks resonate through the living room where the TV is on and Hoseok is peacefully resting on the comfy couch, an arm thrown over his eyes and his shoes still on. If Hyungwon was there he would have skinned Hoseok alive for not removing his sneakers upon entering their flat, but the tall boy is out of town for a romantic weekend with his boyfriend and Hoseok is not expecting any guests to come over. He just came back from his dance lesson with a dozen of hyperactive kids and he needs some peace and quiet, that’s why the TV is playing some slow, deep tunes that were supposed to help him fall asleep and drown out any type of sound coming from his neighbours. The blond sighs, his eyes blinking in the light of the late afternoon filtering through the window, while the offending intruder is still banging his fist against the entrance door. Hoseok knows who this is because he’s taken the (very annoying) habit of never ringing the doorbell. He groans, his hand rubbing at his eyes, trying to wake up enough to deal with the nuisance waiting in the hallway.

The noises cease at some point and Hoseok is already drifting again off to sleep until he hears the door being unlocked and his eyes immediately fly to the boy entering his apartment.  
“What the fuck,” he protests while Kihyun pauses in the entrance to take his shoes off and smiles widely in his direction, hands full of tupperware. The shorter boy saunters to the kitchen counter, leaving what Hoseok supposes is homemade food there before opening the fridge and starting to put things inside.

“Hyungwon gave me the code because he was worried you would eat ramen for three days straight,” Kihyun finally explains, as if it was a casual occurrence that didn’t need any further explanation. “Even though I don’t think he should be worried since you’re not straight at all,” he jokes, and Hoseok takes at least two minutes for his brain to catch up with his words.

“What the fuck,” he eloquently says again, and Kihyun laughs at him, the sound so loud it even drowns the music coming from the TV. Hoseok decides he doesn’t want to deal with Kihyun’s antics, he’s too tired and too grumpy, so he just rolls over to his side, his back to the kitchen, while slumber starts pulling at his eyelids again. He can hear the noises of Kihyun moving around the room, his light steps hitting the floor and his hands opening cupboards, but they are distant and filtered out by the low rumble of the bass playing through the TV speakers.

“Are you sleeping?” a whispering voice asks him and he nods his head to answer, or at least he thinks his head moved, he’s not sure. Someone is shaking him lightly and he lifts his arm to bat the annoying attacker away, hitting something very solid and very loud.  
“For fuck’s sake! You can bench press my entire weight, try to not fling me into the sun,” Kihyun complains, and Hoseok just groans and turns in the other direction, his face pressed against the couch cushions while Kihyun sticks his cold fingers against his neck just to bother him.

“Stop. Sleeping,” he murmurs into the fabric of the sofa, and he can feel the low rumble of Kihyun’s laugh through the palm of his hand cupping the back of his neck.  
“Hoseok, I need to give you instructions on how to heat up the food. Bear with me,” Kihyun softly whispers, but the blond doesn’t really care about feeding himself at the moment. He just wants to rest. Kihyun is persistent and annoying, his freezing fingers tickling the skin under Hoseok’s ears and making him finally turn around and open his eyes.

“I want to kill you,” Hoseok says, matter of fact, but Kihyun just smirks at him, his teeth shining in the low light of sunset irradiating the room.  
“I’m sure that’s not true because first, I brought you food and you love food, and second, you love me,” he replies, his smile growing bigger by the second and Hoseok just wants him to shut up and let him rest.

“Whatever,” he states, rolling his eyes and realizing he’s spending so much time with Kihyun he’s starting to pick up his bad habits. Hoseok sighs, his hands balled up in tight fists rubbing at his eyes to prevent himself from punching Kihyun’s face and wipe his triumphant smile away forever. He feels sleep-deprived and his muscles are sore from all the dancing and working out, so he just proceeds to ignore Kihyun and tries to go back to his dreams, closing his eyes once more.

“Hyung, wake up!” Kihyun shakes him again, and Hoseok has had enough. He tugs at Kihyun’s arm sharply, making him stumble against the couch and lose his balance, falling down over Hoseok’s body and hitting his nose against Hoseok’s shoulder. Kihyun emits a pained noise, hiding his face between Hoseok’s neck and the sofa, his forearm still trapped between his strong fingers, but the blond is already forgetting about the added weight, his exhaustion pulling his eyes closed once again. Kihyun moves over him, shifting his weight on his elbows to massage his nose and resting his chin on Hoseok’s sternum while doing so.  
“You’re a fucking menace,” the brunette protests, his voice muffled by his hands assessing the damage to his face. Hoseok just hums low in his throat, eyelids still glued together and eyebrows knitted.

“If only you left me alone,” he mumbles, the low rumble of his voice reverberating through Kihyun’s skull where he is leaning his face against Hoseok’s chest. Kihyun just chuckles again, taking advantage of their new position to tickle Hoseok’s sides under his shirt with his icy fingertips.  
“Kihyun, stop. I want to sleep,” he whines, squirming under Kihyun and kicking his feet in the air in an attempt to shake Kihyun off. He made the wrong call when he decided to drag him on the couch.

Kihyun is all sharp edges and fast fingers, and Hoseok discovers he’s not as weak as he seems to be. Soon they’re wrestling on the floor, where Kihyun dragged him when Hoseok tried to kick him off the sofa, and even though Kihyun is stronger than Hoseok thought, he has still nothing over the blond. Soon he’s trapped under Hoseok’s bulky body, out of breath and frazzled, trying to wiggle away from Hoseok’s merciless tickling to no avail.  
“O-okay, I,” he takes a breath between laughs, the corners of his eyes wet with tears and his chest rising and falling at a fast pace, “I give up!” he shouts, tapping at Hoseok’s bicep three times before the older man decides to take pity on him and let him go. Hoseok lets his whole weight fall over the younger, crushing him to the ground and pillowing his head over Kihyun’s chest, where his heart is beating so fast Hoseok is scared it might burst out of its cage.

“Good, now you get to be my pillow,” he states, stubbornly squishing Kihyun under him and once again trying to go back to sleep. Kihyun sighs under him, his wrists trapped in Hoseok’s hold so he wouldn’t try to move and disturb his rest once again, and the rest of his body incapable of moving due to Hoseok’s weight.

“Hoseok,” he whines, trying to free his hands out of Hoseok’s grip, but the blond ignores his cries and his breathing is already starting to even out.  
“How can you sleep in these conditions,” Kihyun marvels, and Hoseok giggles quietly. “I’m tired. And it’s hyung for you,” he murmurs, while Kihyun stops his attempts at escaping.

“Hyung?” he calls, his voice small and quiet, making Hoseok’s head lift up from his comfy place to look at him through half-lidded eyes. Hoseok has barely the time to register Kihyun is smirking his evil, sharp smile before Kihyun leans up to kiss him.

Hoseok freezes, his neck bent at an awkward angle while Kihyun skims his tongue against his lower lip, tugging it between his teeth. Kihyun’s lips are soft against his, and Hoseok feels the need respond to the kiss, his own tongue coming out to taste Kihyun’s chapstick sticking to his skin. Kihyun grins into the kiss, sitting up more when Hoseok’s hands let go of his wrists to plant themselves into the floor, and using the opportunity to properly swipe his tongue inside Hoseok’s mouth, cupping his face in the process. There’s a low whine escaping Hoseok’s throat before he can stop it, when Kihyun bites gently at his lips and tugs at his hair in the meantime, and suddenly Kihyun is laughing and getting away from him, an obscene string of saliva connecting their mouths, and it’s everything Hoseok can focus on at the moment.

“Are you finally awake?” Kihyun asks, and Hoseok is suddenly conscious of what just happened and why Kihyun did that. He wants the ground to open up and swallow him immediately because he realizes just now that Kihyun was being a little shit, like always.

“I fucking hate you,” Hoseok grumbles, sitting up on his heels and pretending that everything is alright. He can feel his heart beating in his throat, and he doesn’t look Kihyun in the eyes until both of them are sitting cross-legged on the floor.  
“That was easy, I should have done it sooner,” Kihyun affirms, a light chuckle leaving his lips while his tongue swipes over where Hoseok just bit down into. Hoseok’s stomach flips a little, but he can pretend it’s because he’s tired and hungry, even if at the moment the only hunger he’s feeling can’t be satisfied by Kihyun’s cooking.

“Shut up. Are you here to feed me or what?” he angrily asks, standing up and going over to the kitchen, not waiting for Kihyun to follow. He can clearly feel his presence just behind him, he doesn’t need to check to know he’s right there, a smirk still playing at the corner of his lips.  
“I wouldn’t want you to die of hunger,” Kihyun says, his voice pitched a little lower than usual, and Hoseok swears his heart doesn’t flip in his chest.


	2. I want to love you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it! I can't believe it's done :) I still need to thank my motivational gals, B, A and R for sticking with me till the end, I love you! This is partly unbetaed, if you find any mistakes please point them out so I can fix them.

The first time Hoseok wakes up in an unfamiliar bed, he’s still a little tipsy from the night before, and he doesn’t understand where he is.

He squints his eyes at the strange dark room, takes in the similarities with his own bedroom, but his brain is still foggy and can’t come up with a possible scenario that involves him, alcohol, and this particular place. It takes him at least ten minutes to realize he’s not alone in bed. Someone’s hair is poking out of the covers, on the pillow near his head, but the other’s face is covered by the blanket. It’s almost certainly a boy, given the short hair, but he wouldn’t bet on it. On the rare occasions he had some one night stands, Hoseok has never slept over. He was always sure to gather his belongings and be out of the door as soon as possible because he didn’t want to sleep in a stranger’s bed and he didn’t want to have an embarrassing awakening in the morning. Like today. The only acceptable thing to do would be extricate himself from the covers, dress up in yesterday’s clothes and go back to his apartment in a walk of shame. When he’s about to finally leave the warm bed and get up, the person sleeping next to him stirs and turns around. Hoseok’s heart jumps in his chest.

“Mmh,” Kihyun hums low in his throat, and suddenly flashes of the night before cloud Hoseok’s vision, his ears being filled by throaty moans and whines. The dread that descends on him is paralyzing, and his fight or flight instinct is yelling at him to get the fuck out of there. He’s not fast enough because Kihyun finally opens his eyes and looks at him between his lashes, nose scrunched and mouth in a pout.

“Hey,” he groans, stretching his arms and spine. Hoseok doesn’t know what to do, he stays fixed in his place like a deer caught in the headlights. All his mind can provide him are detailed replays of the night before, and he can’t really process anything else at the moment.

“How are you?” Kihyun asks him, voice pitched low, slightly huskyer than usual. He balances himself on both elbows and stretches his neck, making it crack.  
Hoseok is at a loss for words. He sits there, eyes fixed on Kihyun’s long neck and the hickeys he left on it. It seems like Drunk Hoseok thought marking Kihyun was a brilliant idea, yet Sober Hoseok is regretting every life decision that lead him to this situation.

“Hyung?” Kihyun calls him as he retrieves his glasses from the bedside table, but Hoseok can’t stop staring at the angry red adorning Kihyun’s skin. He’s hypnotized.  
“This was a mistake,” he finally says. Kihyun’s expression seems hurt for a second, but then he’s back to being his usual closed off self. Maybe it was a trick of the light, because the room is still in darkness, and Kihyun has never shown similar emotions in Hoseok’s presence.

“What was? Sleeping here or fucking me?” Kihyun asks him while he gets out of bed and goes over to his closet, putting on some sweats and a shirt, and finally flicking the lights on. He then turns around and stares at Hoseok, waiting for an answer. When he realizes the blond is still looking into the void, he huffs, takes something out of his drawers, and goes over to the side of the bed where the blond is sitting, stark naked.  
“If you want breakfast you’d better dress yourself up. This are Minhyuk’s, so they’ll fit, I think.” Kihyun offers him some clean clothes and a half smile.

“Both. Both were terrible ideas. Sleeping here and sleeping with you,” Hoseok finally answers, and then takes Minhyuk’s clothes.  
“Why can’t I put on my clothes from yesterday?”

Kihyun’s mouth turns in a grimace as he shrugs his shoulders.  
“Suit yourself. Maybe you don’t remember, but a girl, don’t know her name, threw her cocktail at you when she found us in the bathroom. So maybe it’s better if you wash them first,” he tells him, and no, Hoseok can’t actually remember any of that.

“I’m afraid to ask…” Hoseok stalls, looks at the pretty photos hanging on the walls of the room. “What were we doing in the bathroom together?” he finally inquires, returning his gaze on Kihyun. The brunette snorts lightly, fixing his glasses where they slid down his nose.  
“You should ask that girl.”  
“C’mon, Kihyun, don’t be an ass.”

Hoseok recognizes his mistake the moment Kihyun smirks at him, one end of his mouth curling up as he says: “You weren’t complaining about my ass yesterday night.”  
“You’re so gross. Nevermind, I don’t wanna know anything about that bathroom. Actually, I want to forget everything that ever happened yesterday night.”

“I held your head while you were throwing up in the toilet,” Kihyun huffs, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He looks annoyed by the entire situation, but Hoseok can spot the smile he was wearing before still lingering at the corner of his lips.  
“Minhyuk was nowhere to be found and you were wobbling on your feet, you wouldn’t let me go to search for Hyungwon because you were afraid of dying. A tad overdramatic,” Kihyun continues, emitting a chuckle and sitting at the foot of his bed.

“I made you puke everything out and then filled your stomach with water and greasy food to prevent hangover. We came back home and I tried to get you in your bed, but you said you didn’t want to sleep alone in your bed because it was cold and lonely. And then you added, and I’m quoting ‘and you can’t sleep alone because you’re always so cold, you need me or you’ll freeze to death.’”

Hoseok hides his face in his hands, emitting a sigh. He remembers saying those things, he can picture Kihyun's surprised expression when he took his hand and led him to his apartment, he recalls closing the door behind them and then pushing Kihyun against it...  
“Then you kissed me.”

“I remember that,” Hoseok whispers, looking at Kihyun, whose cheeks are a light pink and Hoseok thinks he must be still a little drunk, or maybe his hangover is making him see things that aren’t there.  
“And you told me you wanted to fuck me stupid.”  
Hoseok groans. Why is he like that?

“I did not.”  
“I swear you did. It was cute,” Kihyun tells him, and the blush is gone, if it was there in the first place.

“I am not cute. I am hot and sexy,” Hoseok pouts, getting up to dress himself. He can feel Kihyun’s burning gaze on his naked back, but he’s not complaining. He remembers enough from the night before to know Kihyun praised his entire body, kissed every inch of his skin, so maybe he deserves a little show.  
“Yeah, hot and sexy and cute.” Kihyun sends him a dazzling smile when Hoseok turns around, finally in Minhyuk’s clothes. Hoseok hasn’t the time to process the compliment because Kihyun is taking him by the wrist and guiding him to the kitchen in order to make breakfast for the both of them.

While they eat, sitting at the kitchen counter, Hoseok is still stealing glances at Kihyun’s neck, the hickeys taunting him in the full light of morning. The shirt Kihyun’s wearing is at least two sizes too big for him, and it’s falling off one of his shoulders, the perfect black frame to his sharp collarbone.

“You need something?” Kihyun asks him, side eyeing him as he sips on his coffee. Hoseok looks away immediately, a pretty flush coloring his cheeks and making Kihyun chuckle in his mug.  
“If you changed your mind about your mistakes and you want to have morning sex, we can do that. Minhyuk is staying at Jooheon’s till later,” he tells Hoseok, winking at him for added effect. Hoseok’s face becomes a darker red, a pout on his lips as he makes a statement out of not looking in Kihyun’s direction.

“You’re not funny,” he tells Kihyun, eyes still fixed on the frame hanging above the sofa, a colorful picture of a beach with people flying kites running on it. It’s lively and bright, something that makes you want to be there in the moment and hear the laughs of people, enjoy the salty air and the sun kissing your skin.

“I’m not trying to be funny,” Kihyun jumps down from his stool, his bare feet hitting the floor as he retrieves their plates and cups, putting them all in the sink. He leaves everything there, and Hoseok is actually a little bit scared. Kihyun has always made a point of washing dishes immediately after they finished eating, whenever they had dinner at his and Minhyuk’s place, and his casual forgetfulness is putting Hoseok on high alert.

The stool he’s sitting on is turned around and suddenly Hoseok has an armful of Kihyun, his slim frame pushing through Hoseok’s knees and positioning himself there, standing between his thighs. Hoseok isn’t much taller than him, but the kitchen’s stools are pretty high, so when Kihyun smashes his mouth on Hoseok’s, he’s forced to tilt his head upwards. The kiss takes Hoseok by surprise, makes the small of his back hit against the counter while Kihyun pushes his skilled tongue in his mouth. Kihyun’s hands are in Hoseok’s hair, tugging at his blond locks and making him whine while he interrupts the kiss to mouth down Hoseok’s jaw and neck, nipping lightly at his sensitive skin. A shiver runs through Hoseok, as he lifts his hands to anchor them on Kihyun’s hips, pushing his thumbs under his shirt and making the smaller boy gasp. At the back of his mind, Hoseok knows this is as bad as it gets. When he slept with Kihyun last night he could have blamed it on alcohol and sexual need. Even if he didn’t go back to his house, and maybe he cuddled Kihyun’s body in his sleep, he could still blame it on having an hangover. If now, in the warm light of morning, he stands up and picks Kihyun up from the ground, kissing him with full force, he’d never be able to blame it on anything but simple attraction.

Kihyun’s legs anchor around his torso, his arms coming up to circle his neck, and he deepens the kiss, tilts his head to the side so their teeth don’t clash together. All Hoseok can think of is Kihyun’s tongue in his mouth, the little sounds he’s making, and suddenly he registers he needs to breathe. He breaks away, slightly panting, and feels Kihyun mouthing at his neck, hot breath coming from his lips. It’s not like Hoseok’s feeling fireworks erupting inside his chest, or bells ringing in his ears. There are no butterflies in his stomach, no fluttering of his heart out of pure love. It’s just Kihyun’s body against his, Kihyun’s mouth caressing his skin, Kihyun’s sharp nose digging against him when he bites playfully at the juncture between Hoseok’s neck and shoulder. Hoseok hisses in pleasure, hands gripping Kihyun’s legs with force.

“I know you like showing off your strength, but can we please move?” the brunette whispers in his ear, mouth playing with the piercings there, wriggling a little in Hoseok’s hold just to make him move. Hoseok emits a little laugh, adjusts his grip on Kihyun’s thighs and takes the few steps that separate them from Kihyun’s bedroom.  
The sex is even better when he can remember every little detail of it.

 

*

 

“What are you doing?” Minhyuk asks, standing in the doorframe of Kihyun’s room, already dressed for the night out. His stare is unimpressed to say the least, looking at Kihyun sitting in his pajamas on his bed, a thick textbook in his lap. Kihyun shushes him, index finger going up to his lips in a silencing gesture, his other hand pointing at the sleeping form next to him. Minhyuk just rolls his eyes.

“Aren’t you coming tonight?” he presses on, voice quieter to not disturb the boy passed out on Kihyun’s bed. He crosses his arms in front of his chest and huffs a laugh when Hoseok turns around in his sleep and throws an arm on Kihyun’s lap, knocking the book on the ground.

“He just fell asleep,” Kihyun answers, not moving, a light flush creeping up the back of his neck. “He came back from dance practice and asked me if he could pass out, I thought he was joking,” he adds, eyes scanning Hoseok’s face. His mouth is slightly agape, eyelashes fluttering while he murmurs something in his sleep and turns around, curling up in a ball on the other side of the bed. Kihyun relaxes when the weight of his arm is removed from around his body and retrieves his fallen book.

“I don’t want to wake him up,” he concludes, eyes meeting Minhyuk’s amused ones. His best friend emits another short laugh, shrugging his shoulders in his direction.  
“Whatever. Let him sleep and come with me,” Minhyuk suggests, a big grin plastered on his face as he already knows what Kihyun’s answer will be. The shorter boy returns his attention to the book in his hands, flipping some pages and avoiding eye contact with Minhyuk.

“He’ll be hungry when he wakes up,” he says, as if that concludes their conversation.  
“You’re so whipped dude. This is getting ridiculous,” Minhyuk snickers, waving his hand in the air and retreating from the room before Kihyun has the time to reply. He quietly closes the door behind him, efficiently blocking Kihyun’s book thrown at him, which instead bumps against the wooden surface and falls to the ground with a loud thump.

Hoseok jumps up at the noise, eyes scanning the room in panic until he realizes where he is and falls back on the pillows. He squints at Kihyun through his lashes, gaze still unfocused and mouth in a pout.  
“What was that?” he asks, voice groggy from sleep as he yawns and buries his face back into the blanket.  
“Minhyuk wanted to wake you up to go out,” Kihyun tells him, resisting the urge to reach out and brush Hoseok’s hair back when it falls on his barely opened eyes. Instead, he stretches his arms and links his fingers behind his head.

“You can go if you want,” Hoseok affirms, throwing an arm over Kihyun’s thighs and nuzzling his face against his hip.  
“Mmh. I’m good.”  
“Ok, you can cuddle me, then,” Hoseok whines, his hand slipping under Kihyun’s shirt and stroking his hip bone in slow circles. Kihyun would like to say he puts up a fight, but instead he immediately melts into Hoseok’s touch, sliding under the blankets and getting between Hoseok’s arms, who emits a satisfied sigh.

“You’re the perfect size for cuddles. Small,” Hoseok murmurs, his face pressed against Kihyun’s dark hair.  
“Am not small,” Kihyun protests, but he just gets squished harder against Hoseok’s chest.  
“Best size. Small size. Pocket size,” Hoseok goes on, his eyes slowly closing again, exhaustion catching up to him. He can feel Kihyun’s slow breaths against his collarbone, every inhale and exhale relaxing him more and more until he’s asleep again.

When Kihyun wakes up, the room is in complete darkness and Hoseok is still peacefully sleeping next to him, one of his legs on top of Kihyun’s, both of his arms around the younger’s torso. Kihyun sighs lightly, taking the quiet moment to look at Hoseok’s profile in the low light of early evening. His hand finds its place at the nape of the blond’s neck, playing slowly with the short hair there, and Hoseok’s eyes immediately flutter open at the touch. Kihyun removes his hand as though he was burned, clutching at the comforter instead, but Hoseok doesn’t seem to notice. He hugs Kihyun’s smaller frame closer to his body and yawns through his hair, his breath tickling Kihyun’s forehead.

“What time do you think it is? Should we get up and have dinner?” Kihyun asks, trying to get some space between their bodies and wiggle out of Hoseok’s embrace. The blond whines loudly and tightens his hold, effectively stopping Kihyun’s attempt at leaving the bed.

“I don’t really care about food,” Hoseok mumbles, his face still buried between the pillow and Kihyun’s hair.  
“Sorry, what did you just say? You don’t care about food? Who are you and where is Hoseok?” Kihyun jokes, poking Hoseok’s ribs with his forefinger, making the older man chuckle lightly and squirm away from his annoying touch. Hoseok hums low in his throat, finally putting some space between their bodies to look at Kihyun in the darkness. Kihyun can see the outline of his face, his eyes gleaming in the dim light and his teeth shining when a dumb smile takes over his face.

“What is it?” Kihyun demands, still jabbing his fingers into Hoseok’s side, the latter shifting in bed to pin Kihyun’s offending hand to the mattress. The brunette doesn’t put up a fight, too focused on understanding why Hoseok is still grinning like a madman, his eyes literally sparkling with amusement. He gets closer to Kihyun, his long fingers still engulfing Kihyun’s much smaller hand, and kisses his nose. Kihyun’s breath itches in his throat, his eyes immediately searching Hoseok’s to understand what is going on, but before he can even formulate a question, Hoseok is kissing him for real, soft lips against chapped ones, because Kihyun forgot his chapstick at Hoseok’s and then forgot to retrieve it.

Hoseok kisses him like he wants to melt into him, his free hand cupping Kihyun’s cheek with gentle fingers, his thumb stroking the sharp edge of his jaw in a way that makes Kihyun’s insides warm with pleasure. He licks his way into Kihyun’s mouth, running his tongue against his teeth and biting lightly on his lower lip, while Kihyun’s hand finds its way to tug lightly at blonde locks, the gesture making Hoseok bite harder on Kihyun’s lips. Kihyun moans loudly, and it would be embarrassing if Hoseok didn’t shiver at that, shifting even closer and tangling his legs with Kihyun’s, interrupting the kiss just to mouth down from Kihyun’s jaw to his collarbone, leaving purple hickeys on his way down. Kihyun whimpers every time Hoseok sucks on his skin, his hands finding their way below Hoseok’s thin shirt, caressing his back and clutching at his sides, probably with enough strength to leave bruises. Kihyun can hear his heart beating wildly in his ears, but he’s more worried about the marks Hoseok is scattering in too visible places. He taps three times at Hoseok’s spine, and the blond looks up at him, pupils blown wide and grin resurfacing at the corner of his lips.

“What is so funny?” Kihyun asks again, taking Hoseok from the collar of his shirt and dragging him upwards to bite on his plump lips and kiss the smile off his face. Hoseok lets him, is glad to let Kihyun take the lead as the brunette flips them over, pinning Hoseok’s body to the mattress and straddling his thighs, his tongue gently swiping over the spot he bit into just seconds before. He angles his face to deepen the kiss, and he swipes his tongue against Hoseok’s, while the blond is still wearing a smile on his pink lips. Kihyun uses his teeth to graze the spot beside Hoseok’s ear that makes him whine and whimper under him, but still the smirk won’t leave its place.

“Can you tell me what is so hilarious?” Kihyun pouts, sitting up and supporting himself with his hands clutching at Hoseok’s shoulders. The older giggles, beaming at Kihyun while rubbing slow circles into his thighs.  
“Nothing. You just make me happy,” he says, his expression open and sincere, his eyes looking straight into Kihyun’s with something in them that makes the brunette freeze in the spot.

Hoseok sees the shift in Kihyun's behaviour, but he doesn’t know what to do. He didn’t say anything bad, aside from the truth: he feels full of joy whenever Kihyun is around him, and he doesn’t understand what’s so bad into voicing his feelings out loud. He opens his mouth, maybe to ask what’s the problem, maybe to go back on his words, but Kihyun is faster and beats him to it. He dips back down, kissing Hoseok once, and then he’s gone, his feet hitting the floor and his snicker resonating in the air between them, a little too forceful, a little too loud for being sincere. Hoseok lets him go, watches as he puts sweatpants and the cute bunny slippers on, his back to him the whole time.

“I’m making you ramen! How does that sound?” Kihyun questions, finally looking in Hoseok’s direction, but the room is still dark and Hoseok can’t really read Kihyun’s expressions even in the full light of day. Or maybe he doesn’t want to understand what the look on his face means.  
“Sounds very good,” the blond answers, and gets up too, his eyes still trained over the shorter boy who’s now leaving the room in a hurry.  
“Sounds like I should just marry you,” Hoseok says to the empty space.

*

The light of sunset is the one that makes his pictures look the best, that’s what Kihyun learned in all the years he spent studying and practicing the art of photography. He’d say the subject is what makes the difference, but that would be a lie. At least, that's what he thought. When he first met Hyungwon, he thought that his final project would turn out amazing, that he couldn’t mess up that handsome face even if he tried. He soon discovered that his professor did not agree with him, saying that his shots lacked “something,” which made zero sense to Kihyun, because Hyungwon looked amazing in every single picture he took of him. His teacher suggested that he changed model and that he put more sentiment in what he was doing. Kihyun called bullshit, he loved photography and he never did anything else with more passion in his entire life. That is why, on a chilly day at the end of winter, he finds himself sitting on the cold ground, camera held tight in his freezing hands, jaw clenched and eyebrows knitted together in exasperation.

“Hoseok can you sit still for three fucking seconds?” he says through gritted teeth, lowering the camera and watching the blond fidget in place, an uneasy expression on his handsome face. The sigh leaving Kihyun’s lips is long and loud, and he can feel an headache looming over the edges of his brain.  
“What is it?” he bites out, a little too harshly, making Hoseok look at him with big puppy eyes that Kihyun won’t look at for more than a second before giving him everything he’s asking for. He gazes away as quickly as he can. Working with Hyungwon was much easier.  
“Kihyunnie, I can feel the bugs,” Hoseok shivers dramatically, closing his eyes and hugging himself as if he was trying to shield himself with his own arms. Kihyun doesn’t laugh, but if he does chuckle under his breath is just because Hoseok is ridiculous.

“There are no bugs, hyung. It’s winter. They’re sleeping,” he reasons, amusement seeping into his voice, making Hoseok open his eyes and give him a tremendously offended look.  
“We’re in a park! Near a lake! I’m sure it’s where bugs sleep during winter because they’re horrible and they want to kill me,” Hoseok pouts and Kihyun laughs harder, folding himself in half while ignoring the outraged cries coming from the older.

“Kihyun! This is not funny!” he says, and Kihyun actually agrees with him. He shouldn’t lose time like this, the sun will set soon and his perfect light will disappear before he can take any good pictures. He sighs again, lifts his camera to his face and snaps a candid of Hoseok pouting at the lake as if it personally offended him.

“Hoseok please, would you cooperate? So we can both go home?” he asks, pleading, as Hoseok shivers again and swats at some imaginary insects crawling on his skin.  
“Kihyun this is torture. Did you take me here to torture me? Was this your plan? I’ve always known you’re evil and you should not be trusted,” Hoseok rants, his eyes comically wide and his ears adorably tinged in pink because of the chill setting over them.

“I am not evil,” Kihyun mutters, standing up and leaving his camera inside its bag to go over where Hoseok is sitting and reposition him. Hoseok follows his movements with attentive eyes, sitting cross legged on the hard ground, and when Kihyun gets close enough he turns on the power of his pout, as if he was a kid begging for sweets.

Kihyun just smirks, crouching in front of him to try and adjust his posture, tapping Hoseok’s skin in some points to get him in the perfect pose he choose before starting the photoshoot. Hoseok grunts every time Kihyun touches his limbs, but complies and moves accordingly without a single word. When Kihyun is satisfied, he gets up to go back and finally take the pictures, the light of sunset fading faster than he was expecting. Out of the corner of his eye he sees Hoseok’s head following his movements, so he stops in his tracks to give him a stern look, which isn’t very effective since he’s actually just endeared by Hoseok’s behaviour.  
  
“Don’t look at me like that,” Hoseok complains, worrying his lower lip between his teeth, making it hard for Kihyun to focus on what he’s supposed to do instead of just jump in his lap and kiss him stupid. The brunette blinks twice, regaining control over his thoughts and limbs, and takes the three steps separating them, squatting again in front of the blond.

“You’re such a big baby,” he tells him, exasperated. Hoseok looks up at him through his lashes, his teeth still nibbling at the plump skin of his lips. A cold hand cups his jaw, and Hoseok leans into the touch, his eyelids closing a bit on their own accord. Kihyun uses his hold to turn Hoseok’s face in the right direction for it to catch the low light of sunset, warm tones kissing his skin in the way Kihyun was hoping they would do. He leans in a little bit, Hoseok looking at him cross-eyed because of their closeness.

“If you stay put for five minutes I promise I’ll buy you hot chocolate after. Or whatever you want. And then I can suck you off in the bathroom of your favourite café,” he whispers calmly, feeling more than hearing Hoseok suck in a breath. A grin takes over his face, and if he could see his expression he would know he looks exactly like Hoseok did some nights ago when they were lazily making out in Kihyun’s bed. The only things he sees, though, are Hoseok’s ears turning a deeper shade of red, his cheeks the same vibrant colour, and he leans down the kiss the surprised expression off Hoseok’s face.

“Will you be a good boy for me?” Kihyun asks, and Hoseok just nods, the pretty blush spreading on all his face disappearing under the collar of his shirt. Kihyun has to restrain himself from undoing the buttons to follow the flush down its path by patting Hoseok’s chest and finally putting him in the right pose. The few steps Kihyun has to take to get back to his camera are pure torment, his heart beating wildly in his ears and throat. He’s a professional, he can do this. When he finally grips his camera, the photographer in him takes control, snapping all the good shots of Hoseok, who looks amazing from every single angle he tries. The shutter going off is the only sound in the empty park, aside from the loud thumping of Kihyun’s blood in his veins, but it’s something he can easily ignore when he’s focusing. When he’s done, he lowers the camera and looks at Hoseok, who looks back at him, a big smile plastered on his perfect face.

Kihyun knows he’s fucked.

 

*

 

Kihyun looks dangerous tonight, Hoseok can see it from the other side of the room, and he absolutely doesn’t like it. He’s wearing black skinny jeans, ripped, with a long sleeved shirt in a dark color that Hoseok can’t make out from the distance. It’s so low cut that he can see both of his collarbones poking out from it. Kihyun’s hair is swept back in the way which makes his face look so sharp Hoseok thinks he could cut his hand on his jaw, and he’s wearing a fucking choker.

In the last three months, whenever Kihyun looked like that, Hoseok caved in and slept with him. It was a stupid game because both of them knew Kihyun liked him at least a little bit, or they would just fuck. Instead, everytime Hoseok fell in the trap and had sex with Kihyun, the brunette was always ready to cuddle with him all night and make him breakfast the morning after. He was always sweet with Hoseok, made sure he felt comfortable, hugged him and kissed him in a way that made Hoseok’s heart beat faster in his chest. The fact that Kihyun wouldn’t admit his feelings made Hoseok crazy, but he knew from the beginning what kind of person Kihyun was. He had walls around his heart, so high nobody ever tried to climb them. At least, that what Minhyuk said when Hoseok asked about Kihyun's love life.

Normally, Hoseok would avoid Kihyun like the plague, until the brunette came searching for him, like he always did. It is becoming a really boring and tiring routine, a game he doesn’t really want to play. So he picks up his drink, says goodbye to his place on the comfy couch, and makes a straight beeline for Kihyun. When he sees Hoseok coming his way, Kihyun freezes in his place against the wall, mouth slightly agape, eyes completely focused on him and only him. Yoongi senses someone approaching, turns around and directs his gummy smile at him.

“Wow, Hoseok, looking good tonight! Trying to get lucky?” Yoongi asks him, and Hoseok would scoff at his teasing tone, but he's tired of playing the fool.  
“Actually, there’s someone I have my eyes on,” he tells them, staring pointedly at Kihyun’s lean form. “She’s a cute girl from one of my classes, dark hair, petite, sunny smile. You know how it goes.” Hoseok turns to look at Yoongi and winks at him. Yoongi hums low in agreement, directing a fleeting gaze to Kihyun, who’s not looking at neither of them, head hanging low and nose deep in his drink.

“You two? What you’re gonna do tonight?” Hoseok inquires innocently, looking at Yoongi with a big smile.  
“I think we’re going to drink. A lot,” Kihyun answers for the both of them, takes Yoongi by the wrist and drags him away. By now, having to live with Kihyun, Hoseok has learned to cherish small victories. This one is served to him on a silver plate.  
“So predictable,” he tells himself, and he actually goes searching for cute Seulgi in the middle of the crowd. He thinks he saw her by the dance floor.

Seulgi is indeed by the dancefloor, and she seems to be having a lot of fun. Hoseok slides between bodies until he gets his hands on her hips, and she twirls around, mouth already set in a snarl directed to the uninvited man. When she sees Hoseok’s smile, she relaxes, turns and locks her arms behind his head.

“Hey cutie!” she shouts over the music, and Hoseok can’t help but smile bigger, takes her hand and makes her spin.  
“Hey you, cutie! How’s this party treating you?” he yells his question, but she only shrugs at him, twirls another time. They dance together for some time, until demanding hands come to take Hoseok away.

“Could I borrow him for just a minute?” Kihyun asks Seulgi. The girl directs a knowing smirk at Hoseok, but just nods her head in their direction. Kihyun takes him away from the dancefloor, away from the crowd, just away. Hoseok’s mind is spinning a little. Maybe he just drank too much.  
“Kihyunnie!” Hoseok whines, his eyes glassy and his limbs tired. He tugs a little at Kihyun’s hand, and when did they start holding hands? Why is his hand in Kihyun’s? Hoseok doesn’t remember, doesn’t really care.

“Kihyun! Where are you taking me?” he drawls, tugs at Kihyun’s hand to make him stop. He’s much stronger than the smaller man who’s leading him, but he’s also much drunker, so he trips on his own feet and bumps in Kihyun’s small back, making the other stumble under his weight. They manage to stay on their feet, but Kihyun lets go of his hand and Hoseok is not happy with this development, he whines loudly and tries to catch Kihyun’s hand again, wrapping his arms around him. Kihyun escapes easily from his hold and pushes Hoseok to seat on a bench.

“Just how much did you drink?” he nags, sitting beside him and looking pointedly at him. Hoseok shrinks under his scrutiny, pouts a little in Kihyun’s direction just because he knows it will piss him off more. Kihyun just rolls his eyes at him, kicks him lightly in the shin and suddenly a serious expression overtakes his face.

He seems to be thinking very hard on what to say, so Hoseok just looks at him in silence, patiently waiting.  
“What is your tattoo?” Kihyun finally asks, and Hoseok’s breath itches in his throat.  
“A rabbit,” he rapidly answers. “Why? Did you get it?” It was clearly meant as a joke, but Kihyun’s somber expression doesn’t change. His eyes seem to get colder, just as the air between them.

“What if I did?” he inquires in a monotone voice, hands resting in his lap and Hoseok has to tamper down the need to hold them. What is wrong with him?  
“I don’t know, that doesn’t seem very plausible. You have just a few,” Hoseok reasons, scratching the back of his head just to do something with his hands. He’s starting to feel anxiety seep through his bones because tattoo talk is something he and Kihyun never do. They fuck each other and they have fun with each other, but they never talk about feelings, of any kind. Or, Hoseok talks about his feelings and Kihyun makes fun of him.

“I didn’t get any new tattoo if that’s what you want to know,” he states, and then immediately regrets it. He sees Kihyun’s eyes shutting down, his emotions disappearing from his face and Hoseok is scared. Reading Kihyun’s poker face is something he’s not capable of, even if he wasn’t drunk.

“I see,” Kihyun says, his voice calm and controlled. “I don’t think we should have sex anymore,” he adds, again in that odd voice that sounds too mechanical, too devoid of any kind of emotion. Hoseok just nods his head once, unsure of what to say, taken aback by Kihyun’s sudden decision. He doesn’t find the words he’s searching for. At this point, if it was any other relationship, he would have a bright red tattoo etched on his skin, but this time he doesn’t. He simply knows he’s in love with Kihyun, he knows it even though he never said it. One of the things he hates the most about himself is the easy way he falls in love. This time though he wishes he had a tattoo to prove to Kihyun that he loves him, even though his feelings may not be reciprocated.

“I’m sorry,” he murmurs, eyes trained on the ground. Kihyun laughs, but it comes out strangled and it doesn’t seem a laugh at all.  
“What are you sorry for? C’mon, let me get you home. You’re drunk,” he says, standing up and offering his hand to Hoseok.

The walk to their apartment building is silent, and to Hoseok it sounds like a farewell.

 

*

 

Lately, Kihyun has been doing risky things. He’s always been cautious about one night stands and friends with benefits, but Hoseok seems like the exception who’s going to fuck him up. The truth is, Kihyun isn’t a people person, and he’s only got a few tattoos etched on his skin, two green and some blue. The little puppy paw resting on his left wrist in a light blue shade represents well his best friend. It’s the same shape Hoseok has etched on his right hip, a vibrant cherry color when they first slept together, lately it’s been a bright blue. Kihyun has often caressed it with his left hand, nails slightly grazing Hoseok’s skin and making him whine.

Hoseok’s body is marked with a lot of marvellous colors, and Kihyun is sometimes mesmerised by them. His pale skin is the perfect canvas for those beautiful sketches, and that makes Kihyun fill with the uncontrollable need to capture his beauty. When Hoseok is under him, on his pastel sheets, moaning and glistening with sweat, Kihyun thinks he doesn’t want to let him go, he just wants to engrave those moments in his mind and on film.

Kihyun discovered a new tattoo recently. He’d never noticed it if he hadn’t shaved his head’s sides: just beside his right ear he found a cute rabbit, sitting with a carrot in its paws like it’s always been there. When he’d seen it for the first time, he did a double take. The new drawing marking his skin is pretty, delicate and when he looks at it, Kihyun’s mind immediately connects it to the person whose love it represents. All he can do is stand there, eyes scanning his face in the mirror, dread filling the pit of his stomach as he gently skims his fingers on the bunny. It’s not something he’s never seen before, because Minhyuk has a tattoo of a bee in the same color on his chest, but it isn’t something he thought he’d ever see on himself.

He knew he was in love with Hoseok. If he thinks about it, he’s been in love with him for some time now, but he’s always been good at burying his feelings deep down and ignoring them until they disappear. This time he promised himself he wouldn’t hide anything, that he would talk to Hoseok, because Hoseok deserves to know how he feels. At least, that’s what he was thinking before discovering that Hoseok didn’t get any new tattoo recently. When the words leave Hoseok’s lips Kihyun feels like he’s been punched again, he freezes for a moment before regaining his composure.

If Hoseok doesn’t feel the same way, if Hoseok didn’t get his tattoo, it doesn’t make sense to tell the truth. He plays it cool, and wishes his tattoo to disappear, or at least to turn black, but that never happens. The little bunny stays there, mocking him while he cries himself to sleep that night, mocking him as he lives his life of forced house retirement the following weeks. Minhyuk is worried about him, he can see it in the way he tries to cook for him even though he can’t even boil an egg in the right way. Kihyun appreciates the effort, but he doesn’t feel better even though Minhyuk cuddles with him on the couch, he just needs to bury his feelings and go on with his life, that’s what he says to himself. That’s not an easy task. In the end, he unintentionally cuts everyone off. Hyungwon doesn’t come to eat with him anymore, nor does anyone of his other friends. He pours himself in college assignments and study, he tries to take some pictures for a project, but he can’t find any real inspiration.

Life sucks and he misses Hoseok.

“Would you explain to me the fuck is going on here?” Minhyuk slams his fist on the desk at which Kihyun has been sitting for hours, textbooks and his laptop resting on the surface before him. The brunette jumps up at the sudden noise, eyes focusing on his best friend, who looks extremely pissed off.

“What are you talking about?” Kihyun asks him, furrowing his brows in confusion. “I am studying. You know, that thing you do when you try to input informations…” His speech is suddenly interrupted by Minhyuk forcing his laptop closed.

“Don’t try to bullshit your way out of this with sarcasm, it’s not gonna work,” he says, a suspicious glint in his eyes as he notes the state of Kihyun’s hair and clothes. His roommate looks like a mess, dark circles under his eyes, glasses perched at the top of his head, and the white t-shirt he’s wearing is on backwards. His hair looks like a bird nest, and he’s wearing a headband to cover his ears. The worst fashion choice of the whole ensemble, if you asked Minhyuk.

“I have no idea of what you want from me,” Kihyun states, his gaze going back to his notes to avoid eye contact at all costs. He’s not gonna talk to Minhyuk, he just wants to do his duty as a college student and finish his work.  
“Do you think I’m an idiot? Hoseok hasn't been here in over two weeks, and you look like a fucking train wreck. I can put two and two together, and unsurprisingly it makes four. Are you gonna talk, or do I need to make you do it?” The menace sounds far too real, Kihyun can see the determination of knowing what’s going on in Minhyuk’s eyes.

Escaping the interrogation seems impossible, so Kihyun decides to do what he does best. He lies.  
“What? There’s nothing to talk about. Things weren’t working out anymore, we stopped having sex cause it became boring,” he grits out, arms crossed in front of his chest and jaw clenched tight in an effort not to punch his best friend in the stomach.

“So? You stopped also being friends?” Minhyuk inquires, disbelief written all over his face. “He stopped coming over just because you’re not fucking anymore? That’s not what you’ve been doing the last few times he was here anyway.”

Kihyun shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly, reopening his laptop and entering the password with fast fingers.  
“I don’t know what to tell you, he was probably busy these days,” he says, hoping to end the conversation by showing Minhyuk he’s busy. He should know his best friend is nothing but perseverant.

“So, you won’t mind if I invite the boys over for dinner tomorrow? All of them?” he demands, a little knowing smirk on his face that Kihyun can see out of the corner of his eyes and that he wants to wipe away with his fist.  
“You can do as you please,” Kihyun says, nose scrunched up as he opens tabs on his browser just to seem chill and unbothered.

He’s neither of those things.

 

*

 

When he finds a new tattoo on his skin, Hoseok doesn’t really understand how it appeared there. He’s always had a very pale complexion, so the cute drawing is almost invisible, and it’s also in a place where it could pass off as a scar or something like that. The question that immediately pops in Hoseok’s mind is ‘who is it?’ Resting on the pale skin of his lower back, just below the waistband of his pants, is a little shark.

It should be red. It’s always been red, the majority of his tattoos appeared in reddish colors, and this one shouldn't be an exception. Or, maybe, it should be blue. Hoseok tries to think, tries to understand. There’s not a lot of people this particular tattoo could represent because recently he didn’t get to make a lot of social connections. Moreover, he’s seen that before, somewhere that he can’t actually pinpoint at the moment.

It can’t be Changkyun’s because he already got a pretty wolf on his left calf in a light blue, and he knows that’s his. It can’t be Minhyuk’s because his puppy paw is scrawled in bright blue ink on his right hip.

When he first found that, it was a vibrant red, and Hyungwon scowled at him when he saw it.  
“You’ll never change, hyung. You’re gonna get your heart broken,” he told him, and he was right. He was right more often than not, but Hoseok never gave him the satisfaction of telling him that.

It couldn’t be Jooheon’s because he knows his tattoo is a bee, he’s seen it on Changkyun’s wrist whenever he worked at the café and had his sleeves pushed up. The first time he asked whom it was, he was with Minhyuk, who scrunched his nose and gave Changkyun a glare before he could answer the question. It was before Jooheon came back.

The last possibility is so ridiculous Hoseok doesn’t even consider it. Kihyun’s tattoo isn’t something he wants appearing on his skin because that would mean nothing but heartbreak, and Hoseok has had enough of that. The mature thing to do would be asking Minhyuk about it because deep down he just knows it’s Kihyun’s. Lately, however, Kihyun has cut him off from his life, so it’s not like a stupid tattoo would change his feelings towards Hoseok. The blond man just wants to erase it.

Hyungwon catches him looking at it in the mirror one night when he accidentally leaves the bathroom door unlocked.  
“Hyung? What is that?” he asks, eyes growing wide at the sight. He tries to get closer, but Hoseok is faster, puts his shirt back on and tries to flee the room. Hyungwon is standing in his way and he has no intentions of moving.

“That’s a soulmate tattoo, hyung. When did you get it?” he inquires, arms planted at the door frame to block any escape.  
“I don’t know and I don’t care,” Hoseok hisses, getting dangerously close to his best friend. Hyungwon doesn’t budge, stands to his full height right in front of the only exit in the room.

“You don’t care? What’s this bullshit now?” he scoffs, kicking at his shin, and Hoseok takes a step back to escape the attack.  
“I don’t. Let me go.”  
“Is it Kihyun?” Hyungwon demands, eyebrows raised at his friend’s stubbornness. He hasn’t heard from Kihyun in weeks and he’s starting to worry about him, but if this is the reason for his radio silence he’s gonna skin him alive.

“I don’t care,” Hoseok insists, tries to push Hyungwon out of the door. The tall boy sways but stays put in his place.  
“What game are you guys playing?”  
“I’m not playing any games. I don’t want this tattoo,” Hoseok’s voice breaks on the last word, his emotions starting to catch up with him. Hyungwon’s eyes soften at that, his hands coming up to rest on his best friend’s shoulder in a comforting gesture.

“Hyung, you know you can talk to me, right?”, Hyungwon asks, voice gentle as his fingers squeeze at Hoseok’s muscles to let him know he’ll always be there to support him. The blond nods, sniffling a little before raising his head and smiling at his best friend. Hyungwon smiles back, finally letting him exit the tiny bathroom.

“Minhyuk invited us over for dinner tomorrow night. Should I say we won’t go?” he asks then, uncertainty seeping into his voice as he closely observes Hoseok’s reaction. The blond freezes for just a millisecond, his shoulders coming up to his ears right after in a dismissive gesture.  
“We can go. I miss the others.”

 

*

 

Hoseok is trying really hard not to freak out, but he’s doing a very shitty job at it. Just the idea of being in the same room as Kihyun is making his stomach churn, and he doesn’t understand if it is because he’s nervous or angry. In the last few hours he thought about his relationship with Kihyun, and he came to the conclusion that Kihyun is a dick. Not only he didn’t give any sort of explanation about his decision of cutting off their friends with benefits arrangement, but he also stopped answering any of his messages and calls. Hoseok is bitter. He knows that maybe he can be a little too clingy sometimes, but it doesn’t make sense for Kihyun to change his mind in the blink of an eye without giving him any reason. Looking back at the moments they had together, aside from the mind blowing sex, Hoseok thinks they went well together, even just as friends.

  
“Do you think I did something that scared Kihyun away?” he asks Hyungwon, who’s sitting cross legged on their sofa waiting for Hyunwoo to show up at their door. The tall boy furrows his brows, lifting his eyes from his phone and fixing them on his best friend.  
“What do you mean?”  
Hoseok pouts a little and bites on his lower lip, taking a seat near Hyungwon on the couch.  
“I don’t know. You know how I am, sometimes I say shit that scares people away.”  
  
Hyungwon widens his eyes in a surprised expression, and Hoseok stops him before he can speak: “I didn’t tell him that I love him, if that’s what you’re thinking.” Hyungwon visibly relaxes in his seat, shaking his head a little.  
“So what? Why are you suddenly thinking you did something?” he inquires, confusion still written all over his face. “It happened once and you suddenly talk as if every relationship you had was ruined because of you.”

“Isn’t that the truth, though? I fell in love with them, and even if I said it only that one time, all of the others could see it written on my skin,” Hoseok pauses, his body freezing for just a second, his brain working fast and coming to the only possible explanation Kihyun had to cut him off. He’s seen the tattoo.  
Hoseok knows Hyungwon is talking to him, but he can’t hear what his best friend is saying, the blood rushing in his ears muffling every other sound in the world that isn’t the beating of his own heart. Kihyun knows. Kihyun knows about the tattoo, that’s why he asked about his own tattoo that night, that’s why he closed off when Hoseok said he didn’t have any new ones. He thought Hoseok was lying.

His panicked thoughts are suddenly interrupted by the doorbell ringing. Hyungwon stands up and throws a worried look in Hoseok’s direction before making his way to the door. Hyunwoo gives him a chaste peck on his lips as soon as the door is opened, and Hyungwon chuckles lightly.

“Are you guys ready to go?” he asks, watching as Hoseok stands up and follows them out of the apartment on autopilot.  
“Are you ok?” Hyungwon whispers, nudging Hoseok with his elbow. The blond just nods his head quietly, gaze still unfocused as his mind keeps going back to the conclusion he just came to. When he realizes they’re standing in front of Kihyun’s door, panic kicks in and he’s ready to run back to his flat, but before he can move Minhyuk is already ushering them in.

“I’m sorry there isn’t homemade food tonight, Kihyun isn’t feeling well and he’s in self-imposed quarantine. We had to order take out,” Minhyuk is saying, his eyes looking directly at Hoseok, who internally sighs in relief.“He’s not gonna eat with us?” Hyunwoo asks, his dad instincts going off at the mention of someone feeling unwell.  
“He said he doesn’t want to infect any of you,” Minhyuk answers, rolling his eyes and making it clear that he doesn’t believe a word his best friend told him, “He’s just a fucking coward,” he adds, lower, and Hyungwon furrows his brows at him as Hyunwoo and Hoseok follow Jooheon and Changkyun’s voices into the living room.

“I don’t know what’s going on between those two, but Kihyun is a fucking mess,” he tells Hyungwon, who’s still looking at him with a silent question in his eyes.  
“Should we do something?” the taller boy asks. “Hoseok isn’t any better. He thinks he did something that scared Kihyun away.”  
Minhyuk bites the inside of his cheek in thought, his brain trying to put things together but coming up with nothing.  
“We’re gonna make them talk at least,” Minhyuk huffs, putting an arm around Hyungwon’s shoulders and guiding him to where the others are sitting. “Just don’t say anything. I’m gonna do my thing.”  
  
Food comes soon, they eat like starved men while chatting and choking on their food in the process (mostly Minhyuk), and the chosen theme of the night is ‘horror movies.’ Hoseok can see Minhyuk snickering behind his hand at Jooheon’s terrified expression when he delivers the news, and he’s glad Minhyuk didn’t turn out to be his soulmate. That boy is just pure evil trapped into an angel body.  
  
“Hoseok-hyung, would you please go take some blankets from my room? I forgot to bring them out. You know where they are,” Minhyuk pouts in his direction, eyes sparkling with mischief, while Jooheon tries to escape the room before the movie starts. Minhyuk has longer legs though, and he stops him before he can make more than two steps towards the door.  
“Honey, where do you think you’re going?” he purrs in Jooheon’s ear, making the others laugh at their antics. Hoseok laughs too, on his way to Minhyuk’s room, until he opens the door and he’s greeted by his greatest fear sitting on Minhyuk’s bed with his back towards him.

Hoseok’s brain short circuits for a brief second, and that’s all it takes for Minhyuk to push him further into the room and slam the door behind his back. The loud noise startles Kihyun, who turns around in a rush and almost falls off the bed, clawing at the comforter to keep his balance. Hoseok stands there, mouth slightly open, and he knows he’s making a fool of himself, but he missed Kihyun and the boy is just sitting there, his hair a mess, a weird headband pushing it out of his face, wearing a worn hoodie Hoseok thinks belongs to him, his pretty legs bare because he hates wearing pants, and Hoseok knows that too.  
  
Kihyun is the first one to regain his composure, standing up and walking past Hoseok to bang his fist against the door in a loud and angry motion.  
  
“For fuck’s sake, Minhyuk! I told you I’m sick!” he shouts, trying to turn the handle to no avail. He knocks on the door some more, but given the screams coming from the living room their friends are already too busy watching movies to give them attention. Kihyun kicks angrily at the wooden surface, and goes back to sit on Minhyuk’s bed.  
“I knew that fucker would pull up somet shit like this. How did he even know I was here?!” Kihyun spits angrily, tapping at his laptop keyboard with all his might. He doesn’t even spare a glance in Hoseok’s direction, who’s been standing on his feet in mild shock until that moment.

“What do you mean?” he asks, successfully getting Kihyun to raise his head and look at him for the first time since he entered the room.  
“I mean that my best friend is a fucking idiot,” he cryptically answers, lowering his gaze again to his work.  
Hoseok scoffs but doesn’t question him further, turns his back to Kihyun and starts slamming his fists against the door, scaring Kihyun to death in the process.

“Minhyuk! Hyungwon! Open this fucking door right now or I’m gonna open your skulls later! With my bare hands!” Hoseok registers Kihyun’s chuckle, but ignores it in favour of going on with his task.  
“I will take this door down! And when I will, you’ll regret being born!” he goes on, and this time when Kihyun laughs Hoseok actually looks at him, head thrown back and eyes scrunched up in half moons. Hoseok missed his eye smile. He missed Kihyun.

Wiping little tears from the corner of his eyes, Kihyun smiles at Hoseok, making his heart leap in his chest.  
“I don’t think they’re gonna open up soon. You know Minhyuk, he’s stubborn,” Kihyun says, patting the empty space beside him. Hoseok stands his ground, crossing his arms over his chest. He can see Kihyun’s eyes following the movement, but he’s not going to say anything about it. It’s a little boost to his ego nonetheless.

“And you’re not?” he questions, raising a brow in disbelief. Kihyun scrunches his nose and smirks at him, his usual poker face going back in its place.  
“Fair enough. Do you want to watch a movie?” he asks, again motioning to the space beside him in an invitation. Hoseok is still bitter and a tiny bit scared.  
“Weren’t you sick until five seconds ago? I don’t want to catch anything.” Kihyun’s face falls, and he chews on his lower lip in a nervous gesture.

“I was trying to avoid you,” he finally admits, his eyes fixed on his laptop and hands playing with the frayed ends of Hoseok’s hoodie. Hoseok’s laugh is dry and devoid of any kind of emotion, or maybe it’s full on bitter because he doesn’t have control over his feelings.  
“Yeah, well, I figured,” he spits, suddenly feeling the urge to fight with Kihyun and to make him admit the reason behind his behaviour. He loses all his drive as soon as he meets Kihyun’s eyes, and the sigh he emits is long and pained. If he was more whipped than this, he would go around wearing a leash.

“What do you want to watch?” he concedes, taking a seat on Minhyuk’s bed, keeping a safe distance from Kihyun’s petite body. His hands are itching to palm Kihyun’s creamy thighs, feel that smooth skin under his fingertips, mark it with dark kisses as he used to do until everything fell apart. He sits on his hands to avoid doing something extremely stupid, like cupping Kihyun’s face, pushing him down on Minhyuk’s bed and kissing him until he’s out of breath.

“Is a comedy ok?” Kihyun asks, and Hoseok is pulled out of his thoughts, regaining consciousness of his surroundings and their current situation. He almost forgot he’s not supposed to make out with Kihyun on that bed.  
“Yeah, whatever you want is good for me.”

They adjust a little until they’re both sitting up with their backs against the headboard, the laptop propped up on Hoseok’s thighs, a never been there space separating their bodies that makes both of them uncomfortable, but neither of them dares to speak up. Kihyun open his Netflix account and they choose some random Hollywood comedy just to keep them entertained until finally Minhyuk will let them free.

When Minhyuk opens the door, he finds them both asleep, laptop powered off still resting in Hoseok’s lap. He removes it swiftly trying not to make a sound, tucking the pair in under a blanket. Kihyun is curled up against Hoseok’s side, his head resting on the blond’s chest, who has his arm casually holding Kihyun closer by his shoulders. Hoseok’s head is resting on top of Kihyun’s, and he’ll probably regret sleeping like this in the morning when is neck will be stiff and sore, but Minhyuk doesn’t have the heart to wake them up. He silently coos at them and motions at Jooheon to exit the room on his tiptoes.

*

When Hoseok wakes up the room is still in complete darkness, and it takes him a minute or two to understand where he is and why his neck is hurting like a bitch. Looking down, he realizes Kihyun is clinging to his shirt, tiny fists balled up, and his naked legs are thrown over Hoseok’s, making a swift escape almost impossible. He moves carefully, trying not to wake Kihyun up. He doesn’t want to explain why he’s leaving the room in the middle of the night, he doesn’t want to spill his secrets in the dark hours just before sunrise. Kihyun moves in his sleep, his face nuzzling against Hoseok’s chest, and the blond feels a sting in his heart, something similar to the heartbreak he felt when Kihyun dropped their friendship like it meant nothing.

A thick blanket is covering their entangled bodies, and Hoseok curses Minhyuk for existing and being a demon. Trying to leave as quietly as possible, he hears Kihyun whine as his fingers clutch Hoseok’s shirt even harder than before.  
“Hyung?” he murmurs, voice low and soft, eyes slightly open in the dark fixed on Hoseok, who’s now putting his feet on the ground. Hoseok hums in answer to Kihyun, is heart beating so fast in his chest he’s terrified Kihyun will be able to hear it.

“Where are you going?” the younger asks, brows furrowed in displeasure at being woken up in the middle of the night.  
“The bathroom. Go back to sleep,” Hoseok answers, gently removing Kihyun’s hands from his body and tucking him in under the comforter. Kihyun sighs and curls up in a little ball, falling back asleep. The blond resist the urge to kiss his nose and runs out of the apartment as fast as he can.

Lying in his bed, awake at four in the morning, sheets cold and no one to share body heat with, Hoseok realizes that he’s never felt so sad and alone in his entire life before. Knowing that his soulmate, the person he was supposed to be happy with, saw his tattoo and just run away from him, without giving him a word of comfort or even an excuse, makes him feel just empty and lonely. He falls asleep some time later, pillow wet with his tears and mind clouded by bad thoughts.

“You should go out,” Hyungwon tells him the following evening, when he finds Hoseok curled up on their couch, nose deep in a bowl of ramen while a cheesy romantic comedy plays on the tv screen. Hoseok just hums in acknowledgment and gulps down another mouthful of noodles. Hyungwon clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth in annoyance, and he steals the remote to mute the tv.

“Hyungwon! I was watching that!” Hoseok whines, his head turning immediately in the direction of his roommate, who’s standing in the middle of the living room with his arms crossed over his chest, his foot tapping against the floor in clear exasperation.  
“This has to end. You can’t live the rest of your life pitying yourself and swallowing down your feelings. I’m calling Jimin,” the taller says, smartphone already in his hand, fast fingers scrolling through his contacts.

“You can’t call Jimin! He’s gonna bring me to some crazy party and I don’t want to go!” Hoseok argues, pouting at his best friend while he continues to eat his ramen. He’s not doing anything to stop Hyungwon, so the younger knows he’s won this battle.  
“Too late, he’s already on the line,” Hyungwon smiles victoriously, and Hoseok pouts some more while Hyungwon makes plans for the night.

Jimin is one of Hoseok’s coworkers, a dance major who’s younger than Hoseok and Hyungwon, and much shorter than the latter. Hoseok doesn’t know how, but Jimin always knows where the best parties are being held and he seems to know how to get in each and everyone of them. This time, it’s in a famous club downtown with probably an extremely long waiting list, but all Jimin has to do to get them in is smile at the bouncer and gesture at him and Hyungwon, mouthing: “They’re my friends.”  
  
Both Hoseok and Hyungwon are shocked and slightly amused by the interaction, but they follow Jimin inside the club without questions. Jimin turns around to wink at them in an exaggerated manner and the pair of friends laugh at his antics. The music inside is loud and Hoseok can feel the bass reverberating in his bones, making his loud mind finally quiet down. He smiles brightly at Jimin when the grey-haired man asks him what he wants to drink, and tells him that he’ll take whatever Jimin is taking.

Maybe it’s not the best of ideas because when Jimin goes back to the little booth they managed to find in the middle of chaos, he has a bottle of vodka in his hands. Jimin lines up three shot glasses and cheers loudly as he fills them to the brim. Hyungwon seems pleased by Jimin’s choice of alcohol as he downs three shots in a row, leaving Hoseok speechless. Jimin just cheers louder, refilling their glasses and smiling wide in Hoseok’s direction, nudging him in taking a shot too. He doesn’t need a lot of encouragement, just Hyungwon calling him a loser and telling him to try and keep up with him.  
  
When the bottle is empty, Hyungwon excuses himself to the bathroom and tells them he’s going to buy another one on his way back.  
“Hyungwon is the best hyung I ever had!” Jimin shouts over the music, making Hoseok giggle in his intoxicated state.  
“Am I not your best hyung?” he asks, bottom lip quivering in fake sadness, eyes bigger than ever. Jimin laughs at his antics, taking his face in his hands and squishing Hoseok’s cheeks in an affectionate gesture.  
  
“You’ll be if you come dance with me!”  
Jimin takes Hoseok’s hand and directs him to the dancefloor, music leading their bodies as alcohol makes their brains slower and their inhibitions lower. Jimin is an amazing dancer, and Hoseok is having the time of his life making him spin around like a little ballerina out of beat, until his eye catches something that makes him pause in the middle of the dancefloor. Jimin doesn’t realize his friend has stopped moving until he crashes against Hoseok’s body, making the blond stumble back with the force of the impact.

“Hyung? Everything okay?” he asks, eyes drawn in concern as he follows Hoseok’s gaze towards the edge of the room, where someone is pushing Kihyun against a wall and kissing his neck. Hoseok feels his blood running cold in his veins, looking at the black-haired man mouthing at Kihyun’s soft skin. Kihyun’s head is resting against the wall, his eyes closed and his lips slightly parted. Hoseok feels the need to throw up.

“Isn’t that Yoongi?” Jimin asks, voice laced with confusion. “What is he doing with Kihyun-hyung? Aren’t you his soulmate?”  
Hoseok’s turns to look at Jimin, trying to delete the image right before his eyes from his brain.  
“What are you talking about?” Hoseok demands, voice quivering in uncertainty as he looks Jimin in the eyes. The grey-haired man just stares back at him with puzzlement written all over his face.

“Yoongi told me you’re his soulmate?” Jimin reiterates, still uncertain about the words coming out from his mouth.  
“Are you talking about Min Yoongi? He told you that I’m Kihyun’s soulmate?” Hoseok can’t believe his ears, but something lights up in his heart at Jimin’s words. There’s a maybe, a possibility, something that nagged at his brain in the last few days and to which he didn’t really pay attention, even if it was there and he couldn't get rid of it. Hope. The flimsy hope that maybe, just maybe, Kihyun has a tattoo, but he’s too scared to tell him. Maybe he saw his own tattoo on Hoseok’s skin and he panicked, maybe he’s afraid of being loved and loving him back. Just maybe.

“Kihyun? No, I meant Yoongi’s soulmate.”  
Hoseok chokes on his own spit, his eyes becoming redder the more he coughs to try and free his airways. Jimin pats his back with his little hand, his eyebrows knitted together in a confused expression.

“You didn’t know it? Hyung, what is going on?” he asks, discomfort clear in his voice when he talks directly into Hoseok’s ear to be heard over the sound of music in the club. When Hoseok is able to breath again, he takes Jimin’s elbow and drags him towards the exit, his whole body shaking as he takes big steps in the panic that overtakes his mind.  
“What are you talking about?” he demands, shaking Jimin back and forth once they are outside and fresh air hits their faces. Jimin’s face shows just how much he’s worried, his teeth sinking on his lower lip in a nervous gesture, hand running through his short hair.

“I thought you knew? He told me you knew it!” he pouts, crossing his arms over his chest. Hoseok can’t really understand what’s going on.  
“Jimin,” the smaller boy looks in Hoseok’s direction, his eyes still wide, and Hoseok feels immediately bad for the accusing tone of his voice.  
“Jiminie, I’m sorry. Can you explain what Yoongi said?” he inquires, the panic still clutching his lungs in a freezing grip. Jimin seems to be worried about his well being, probably because his face is as pale and sick as he feels.

“Yoongi told me his soulmate was one of my coworkers, and when I asked for a name he didn’t want to tell me! So I insisted until he gave up and told me it was you!” Jimin pouts, clearly not believing Yoongi’s words anymore, “And he told me you knew about it. This isn’t making any sense,” he concludes, rolling his eyes in a way that reminds Hoseok of a certain someone still standing inside the club, his back pressed against a wall while someone else is kissing his neck and Hoseok needs to stop thinking about this.  
“This is making no sense at all,” he confirms, eyes fixed somewhere over Jimin’s head, who’s looking at him with big eyes full of concern and pouty lips.

“Maybe,” Jimin starts, and Hoseok focuses back on him, even if his mind is still trying to connect the dots without success, “Maybe I heard it wrong? I don’t know, you should probably talk to him?” the grey-haired boy finishes, his words sounding like an uncertain question in the chill air of the night.  
“Probably,” Hoseok tries to calm his breathing as he hugs himself, tapping his right foot on the ground in a nervous gesture. He doesn’t understand what’s going on, but he has no intention of going back into the place where he will probably see Kihyun making out with Yoongi under the flashing lights. What he needs now is his bed, and maybe a cup of warm chamomile tea to help him sleep. He says so to Jimin, who just nods and tells him he’s gonna take care of Hyungwon.  
“Sleep well, hyung. You need some rest.”

Fate has a strange way of handling things, because when he gets back to his apartment building and enters the hallway after climbing up eight flights of stairs just out of pure need of wearing himself down, Hoseok meets Kihyun coming out of the lift. The brunette stops abruptly in his tracks, his eyes wide and pupils blown, clearly still under the effect of whatever he was drinking that night. Probably gin and tonic. Hoseok hates that his brain provides him with pieces of information about Kihyun, that he remembers everything the boy does and doesn’t like, that he can feel his heart break in his chest at the sight of dark bruises on Kihyun’s neck. Neither of them talks, or moves, but when Kihyun opens his mouth to say something, Hoseok turns around and heads quickly to his door. Dark eyes follow his movements, Hoseok can feel them on the back of his neck, he doesn’t need to look to know that Kihyun is still rooted in the same place in the middle of the hallway.  
“Good night,” he mutters, before closing the door behind his back.

 

*

 

Finding Yoongi on the university’s ground is easier said than done. Jimin told Hoseok all the spots he could probably try, but on the first two days of research Hoseok found no trace of the black-haired man. He doesn’t dare to look for Yoongi’s phone number, because apparently Jimin doesn’t have it and asking for it to Minhyuk doesn’t sound like a good idea. Minhyuk’s meddling could just make things worse than they are, and at the moment the situation looks grim enough. Anyone else that could have that phone number falls under the category of “people that could only make things worse”, even if it’s only one person and Hoseok doesn’t want anything else but talk to him and go back to the happy times they spent together.

It looks just like a stroke of luck when Hoseok spots a head of black hair inside the cafè on campus where Minhyuk works. Yoongi is sitting with his back to the window and laptop open on the table in front of him. The sweater he’s wearing looks familiar to Hoseok, but what gives him away is his slouching posture, his head falling towards the luminous screen as he types fast on the keyboard. Hoseok takes a deep breath and enters through the door, the ringing of the bell above the entrance alerting Minhyuk who’s wiping the counter with little to no energy.  
  
“Hyung! I haven’t seen you here in a while, it’s nice to have you back,” Minhyuk smiles big and sunny, his white hair flopping over his eyes. He shakes his head to get it out of his face, his gaze travelling to the only other client sitting there. Yoongi doesn’t seem to be aware of anything going on around him, but Hoseok knows better. The blond smiles back at Minhyuk, but something on his face probably gives him away because his friend suddenly looks worried.

“Hey Min! Can I have a cup of tea?” the blond asks, sitting down right in front of Yoongi. Minhyuk’s eyes grow three sizes at the sight, but he just nods and turns around to work on Hoseok’s order. Yoongi’s fingers keep hitting the keyboard at a fast pace, his eyes scanning rapidly the screen as he keeps working, completely ignoring Hoseok’s presence.

“Jimin told me something,” Hoseok starts, and Yoongi immediately interrupts him with a loud scoff, his gaze still glued on his laptop even while he addresses his next words to the blond sitting across from him.  
“Jimin should shut his mouth.”  
“Yeah, he probably should. Still, he told me something that I need to discuss with you,” Hoseok insists, crossing his arms over his chest to get his point across. Yoongi just raises a brow in his direction.

“You don’t need to discuss anything Jimin told you. You’re here for Kihyun.” The answer takes Hoseok by surprise and he sucks in a breath. Minhyuk deposits the cup of hot tea on the table and retreats behind the counter, sensing a storm coming. He makes himself busy by rearranging the pastries inside the display sitting on the counter and hopes to be invisible.  
“I’m here to talk to you, Min Yoongi. I don’t care about Kihyun,” Hoseok grits out, jaw clenched in anger, hands fidgeting with the hot beverage in his hands. Yoongi scoffs again, even louder than the first time, and finally looks Hoseok in the eyes. His stare is sharp and his expression says ‘stop trying to feed me bullshit.’

“That’s the worst lie I ever heard in my life, and once Minhyuk tried to make me believe he’s not gay,” he says, closing the lid of his laptop and rolling his eyes in a very familiar way. Minhyuk gives a weak protest, but just a pointed look in his direction makes him quiet down.

“Jimin told me something funny. He said you gave him my name when he asked who your soulmate was,” Hoseok spits out, eyebrows knitted together and stare fixed on Yoongi’s face to study his reaction. A dramatic gasp comes from Minhyuk’s direction, but Yoongi doesn’t even flinch at the accusation. He just smirks, takes a sip of what Hoseok suppose is coffee from his cup and looks at him with mirth written all over his face.

“He told you that? Funny. As I said, Jimin should shut his mouth,” he states, tone calm as he was talking about something unimportant like the weather or if he puts milk in his coffee. Hoseok bets he drinks it black and bitter, like his soul.  
“You’re not gonna deny it?” Hoseok presses, disbelief clear in his tone as he leans towards the shorter man, eyes wide. He knows Minhyuk has his ears open even though he’s feigning disinterest.

“I don’t need to deny it, because you already know it couldn’t possibly be true. Me, in love with you? Do you think I am the type to fall for someone like you?” He laughs as if Hoseok had just delivered the funniest pun he’s ever heard, “Jimin is simply a nosy idiot. For your information, I have a soulmate. He’s a dancer, he’s called Hoseok and he works with both of you morons. Does it ring any bell?”

It actually does, and Hoseok is surprised Jimin didn’t think of Jung Hoseok before thinking of him, given that Jimin lives with the guy. Yoongi chuckles under his breath, his eyes going over to where Minhyuk is standing before coming back to fix themselves over Hoseok’s stunned face.

“Jimin should stop living on champagne and praise, maybe he would actually see what’s going on around him,” Yoongi comments, a grin still lifting up the corners of his lips. Hoseok is at a loss of words for a moment, his mind replaying Jimin’s words in a loop to confirm that Yoongi is saying the truth. He should probably call Jimin later to tell him his roommate is fucking Yoongi on every surface of their flat, if Yoongi’s sly smirk is anything to go by.

“Wait. Weren’t you with Kihyun on Saturday night?” Hoseok can’t forget the sight of Yoongi pushing Kihyun against the club’s wall, can’t delete the image of Kihyun’s neck littered by tiny hickeys when he met him in the hallway. Yoongi just shrugs, his gaze turning sharp again.  
“Ha, so Kihyun was right, you were there too. Yeah, we were together, but that’s none of your business.”  
“It’s not? Don’t you think Hoseok would like to know?”

“My soulmate knows everything he needs to know. Does yours?” Yoongi replies, and Hoseok freezes in his spot. He feels Minhyuk eyes at the back of his neck, waiting for his reaction, so he takes a short breath and tries to keep his voice steady.  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t have anyone,” he affirms, trying to pour fake confidence in his words. He can’t put his cup down on the table or they will see his hands are shaking.

“You don’t, I see. Well, Kihyun was sad the other night because his soulmate doesn’t love him back, so I was just trying to distract him,” Yoongi has the audacity to smirk again, his left eyebrow lifting in a suggestive way. Bile rises in Hoseok’s throat, but he wills his face to stay neutral. Kihyun has a soulmate. Kihyun’s soulmate doesn’t love him back. Kihyun saw his tattoo on Hoseok’s skin and run away. The dots connects in Hoseok’s mind, and suddenly everything seems to make sense.  
“I get it. Well, thank you for answering my questions. I need to go now,” Hoseok bows in Yoongi’s direction, making the black-haired man stand up in confusion, trying to stop his escape.

“Wait, Hoseok!” But the blond is already running away, the glass door closing behind him with a loud thud. Yoongi turns back to Minhyuk, who’s standing in the middle of the cafè, a shocked expression drawn on his pretty face.

“I don’t think he understood what I was trying to tell him,” Yoongi sighs, running a hand through his hair in exasperation, “I’m so tired of all this bullshit. Can’t they just talk and sort things out?”  
“They probably should. You know how Kihyun acts when feelings are involved,” Minhyuk makes a face in Yoongi’s direction, who just nods silently.  
“So, about your soulmate? Why didn’t I know about him?” Minhyuk is smirking, his best friend’s problems all forgotten in favour of getting some juicy gossip out of Yoongi.  
“Because you’re a nosy bitch, just like my ex friend Jimin.”

 

*

 

The picture on Kihyun’s screen is giving him a terrible headache. It’s not the picture itself that’s tormenting Kihyun’s head, it’s more the person who is smiling at him through the pixels. The last time Kihyun saw him, Hoseok was closing the door to his apartment while he was standing in the hallway like an idiot, unable to tear his gaze away from the blond. To Kihyun’s drunken eyes he seemed tired and sad, but he doesn’t know if what he saw is true or if it’s just some stupid reflection of how Kihyun is feeling. He’s restless, miserable, too nervous to be actually productive. Minhyuk refuses to talk to him because he snapped one too many time without a reason to and because he won’t say what’s bothering him. Obviously, his best friend knows well what the problem is, but his mission in life is to torment Kihyun and make his existence a living hell.

Kihyun likes to think that everything will get better with time. He can get over his feelings, he can forget the thumping of his heart in his ears whenever he pictures Hoseok’s face when he accidentally slept over at Kihyun’s and run away in the middle of the night. Lies are what Kihyun is feeding himself, because he knows too well how feelings can’t just evaporate, and he was stupid enough to let them spread and put their ugly roots somewhere in his heart. But there’s a voice at the back of his mind, something that tries to reason with him, a part of him that tries to tell him that even if Hoseok hasn’t his tattoo, there’s no way that he doesn’t love him back. The voice isn’t very loud, it’s more of a whisper than anything else, a quiet mumbling that tries to worm its way into his brain and make him believe what it’s saying. “You’ve seen Hoseok look at Minhyuk with infatuation in his eyes, can’t you see when it’s directed at yourself?” it asks, but Kihyun hasn’t got any real answers for it. Infatuation is different from love, even though Kihyun could never tell if what he’s feeling for Hoseok is either of those things. Lately, he’s just feeling like something’s missing in his life, but he could never put into words what it means or tell exactly why his heart feels a little heavier in his chest. Or maybe he could, but he doesn’t want to say the word heartbreak out loud.

It’s been hours now since Kihyun last saw the sunlight, and it’s probably well past sunset when he decides to take a break to eat something. He heard noises coming from the living room some time ago, so he supposes Jooheon came over to watch a movie or do other things that’s better if Kihyun doesn’t witness. He pokes his head out of his room, but the house is quiet in the dark, the only light coming from the living room probably caused by the TV. Little steps take Kihyun in the direction of the kitchen, but he stops upon entering the living room, his ears picking up on the conversation going on, whispers just barely audible over the sound of the action movie still playing. Jooheon is there, sitting on the sofa next to Changkyun, and Kihyun can spot Minhyuk’s feet poking out at the end of the sofa. He supposes his best friend fell asleep in Changkyun’s lap. The discussion going on in the room seems serious despite its tone being ushered and Kihyun finds himself standing in the entrance, frozen in place to not disturb his friends.

“But how, hyung?” Changkyun demands, his voice quiet but whiny in a way that reminds Kihyun he’s the younger one in the room. Jooheon chuckles under his breath as he pats Changkyun’s head in an affectionate gesture.  
“It’s not a matter of how, Kyun. You’ll just know,” he reassures, still comforting his younger friend by scratching his scalp. Kihyun swears he can hear Changkyun purring like a little kitten.

The following words Changkyun says are lost to Kihyun’s ears, but he hears clearly Jooheon’s answer: “It doesn’t matter and you know it. Tattoos shouldn’t dictate how you live your life, they’re just there to remind you of the people you loved and you still love because they’re important, no matter what,” he states and Changkyun tries to speak up but Jooheon silences him before he can even utter a single word.

“I know what you’re about to say, and don’t. Minhyuk is my soulmate, but I fell in love with him before I knew that. That’s what matters. Even if his tattoo was red, I still would have come back for him,” he finishes, and Kihyun sighs in unison with Changkyun, who sinks down into the couch and is probably pouting by now given the cooing noise Jooheon makes.

“I know the idea of finding your soulmate is alluring, because you think that everything will be alright and you’ll never love someone else like you’ll love them, but things aren’t always easy in a soulmate bond, and I’ve seen plenty of people being happy without one of those,” Jooheon pauses when Minhyuk stirs in his sleep and his next words are just barely loud enough for Kihyun to hear them.  
“You and I both know that when love is involved, even the universe can't do shit. And if you do, find your soulmate I mean, don’t make the same mistakes I made. If you love them, you should never let them go.”

Kihyun’s stomach is suddenly tight, the hunger that led him out of his room is no longer there, being replaced by an ugly feeling, a knot that ties his insides together and makes bile rise in his throat. He hasn’t eaten anything for hours now, but suddenly he feels like throwing up whatever might still be in his body. The rush of blood in his ears is so loud it drowns out his friends’ voices still whispering in the other room, his heartbeat increasing its pace being the only thing he can concentrate on, loud and scary. He manages to return to his room without being noticed, his steps still careful and quiet even in his panic, because he knows if Jooheon, or hell forbid, if Minhyuk sees him in this state he won’t be able to stop the tears that are threatening to fall from his eyes. The door closes with a soft click behind him and Kihyun sags against it, his back hitting the wooden surface before his butt hits the floor. His heart is still beating wildly in his chest, its sound drowning out everything else, filling up the room like it’s the only thing actually still existing, and Kihyun can’t focus on anything else. His mind doesn’t register the loud knocking on his door at first, too busy replaying Jooheon’s words over and over again, and it’s only when someone tries to push it open that he comes back to reality. Minhyuk is yelling like his life depends on it and Kihyun’s brain finally starts functioning again. He stands up and lets Minhyuk in, his best friend clutching his shoulders, hard, until Kihyun can’t hear the loud thumping of his heart in his ears anymore.

“Kihyun!” Minhyuk is still shouting, so Kihyun shouts back: “What?!”  
His best friend lets go of him, the worry written all over his face fading a little at his response.  
“Are you… Well, you’re clearly not ok. What’s going on? You crashed against the cupboard in the hallway so hard I thought you broke something!” He says, his hand lifting Kihyun’s shirt without his permission, exposing an angry red patch of skin just above his hip bone, and Kihyun can feel the pain now. It hits him so suddenly he sucks in a breath that makes Minhyuk flinch away.

“You woke me up just by the sound of it. I followed you to see if you needed ice and you were breathing so fast I thought you were dying in here!” Minhyuk lifts his right hand, his fist holding tightly on a pack of instant ice Kihyun meticulously stored in the bathroom’s cabinet the last time someone (Minhyuk) hit his head against a wall while trying to do handstands. Kihyun takes the ice, hissing when the cold seeps through his shirt and reaches his skin. Minhyuk is still looking at him with concern, his eyebrows knitted together over his expressive eyes, and Kihyun can see he’s dying to ask more questions.

“I’m fine, I think I just need to eat something. My head was spinning a little,” he lies through his teeth, but he knows Minhyuk isn’t buying it this time.  
“You were having a full on panic attack. I haven’t seen you like this since…” he pauses, dark eyes searching something on Kihyun’s face, “Since you know when. You scared me.”  
“I’m sorry, Min,” Kihyun sighs, sitting on his own bed with the ice pack still clutched in his hand. Minhyuk follows him, manhandling him to make him lie down and curl around him in a protective manner, their legs tangled together and Minhyuk’s arm under Kihyun’s head.

“Don’t be sorry for being afraid. Because I’m supposing this is what all of this is about. You’re scared like a little baby shark just hatched from its egg.”  
“Your analogies get weirder the more time we spend together.”  
“Thank you,” Minhyuk laughs while he kisses Kihyun’s temple and Kihyun shuffles a little closer to his best friend’s warm body.  
“What I’m saying is. It’s ok to be scared, it’s ok to not know what to do. Just talk to me? Or not. You can do as you please. I’m here for you if you need me.”  
Kihyun doesn’t cry, he doesn’t shed a single tear, but a tight knot fills his throat and he has to clear it a couple of times before he can speak again.

“I love you,” he says, a quiet whisper that comes out more watery than intended. Minhyuk chuckles under his breath and kisses his hair again.  
“I know that. Shouldn’t you say it to someone who doesn’t?” He teases, stroking the little white tattoo behind Kihyun’s ear with wandering fingers.

“It’s pretty. I’m glad you’re not covering it anymore.”  
“I forgot to.”  
“I guessed. I like it. You shouldn’t hide it,” Minhyuk mutters, his hand now massaging Kihyun’s scalp in a soothing motion.

“I was scared,” Kihyun mumbles back, “I’m still scared. I don’t know what to do.”  
“You’ll figure it out. You’re smart when you’re not running away from your feelings like a newborn sea turtle trying to escape predators.”  
“Minhyuk, stop watching Discovery Channel.”  
“Never.”

 

*

 

Kihyun stands in the hallway, his hand tight in a fist as he contemplates if he should knock on the door before him or not. It’s late at night, probably well past midnight, but Kihyun couldn’t sleep, restless in his bed for hours upon hours. Minhyuk has been bugging him for three days straight to just do something because he was growing tired of seeing him sulk over his life decisions, or so he said. That’s why Kihyun is there, his feet secure in his favourite bunny slippers, his tiny frame engulfed in one of Hoseok’s hoodies that are meticulously folded in his wardrobe, all of them still smelling like Hoseok’s cologne since Kihyun refused to wash them.  
He takes a breath to steady himself, ready to knock, when a last minute thought invades his mind. What if Hoseok doesn’t want to see him? If he raps his knuckles against the door, he will know it’s him, he’s the only one to do that. His finger presses the doorbell before he has time to think it through, the sound of it scaring him and making him jump back in surprise. His hands are sweating and his feet are trying to make the rest of his body turn around and run away at supersonic speed, but he will not do it. He will be an adult and talk things through with Hoseok. Who’s now looking at him with a disgruntled expression on his pretty face, his arms crossed over his chest in a defensive stance.

“Hyungwon isn’t home,” he says, making Kihyun flinch at the coldness seeping into his voice, his hand already pushing the door closed before Kihyun can utter a single word.  
“I actually wanted to talk to you, if you have time,” Kihyun blurts, his right foot moving on its own accord to stop the door closing on his face. Hoseok looks down at it like it’s something extremely disgusting.

“It’s almost one in the morning, don’t you have better things to do?” he spits, trying to close the door on Kihyun’s foot.  
“I don’t. Please? I think you should know some things,” Kihyun says, voice firm even if he just wants to whine and pout until Hoseok gives in.  
“I know everything there is to know, I don’t want to know more. I don’t want to listen to some poor excuses just because you suddenly got bored and decided I’m the right person to annoy again.”

Kihyun feels heat rise to his cheeks as his head spins a little. He knows he deserves this treatment, but he didn’t think Hoseok would be so cold and merciless and it hurts more than he would like to admit.  
“Hyung, please. Hear me out,” he pleads, his voice barely above a whisper this time. Hoseok looks him in the eyes and seems resolved in pushing his feet away to close the door and lock him outside. Instead, he turns around and make a gesture to follow him inside.

Kihyun’s heart is beating so loudly in his chest he’s scared the blond will hear it even if there are several meters separating them and his palms are still sweaty and gross. He hides his hands inside the hoodie’s pockets, standing near the TV while Hoseok takes a seat on the couch.  
“So what, talk,” he affirms, his voice still devoid of any emotion aside from annoyance. Hoseok’s face has never been difficult to read, but right now Kihyun can’t understand what the other is thinking and that scares him to death.

“I want to apologize first. For being a dick.”  
“That’s something I’ve already heard somewhere,” Hoseok says, feigning ignorance while tapping his forefinger against his lips. Kihyun wonders if Hyungwon just took possession of his body, because this level of sassiness isn’t something usual for Hoseok’s persona.  
“Yeah, I know. I’m sorry for being a dick in general. You don’t deserve it.”  
“No shit, Sherlock.”

Kihyun grits his teeth so loudly it’s probably been heard from the street below them, but Hoseok doesn’t seem to notice his irritation, his eyes intent on firing daggers at Kihyun’s slippers like they personally offended him.  
“Well, that’s the first thing. I’m sorry and you deserve to be treated way better than how I did. I’m sorry for ghosting you. I’m sorry for ignoring you. I’m sorry for being a horrible friend.”  
Hoseok laughs. He laughs so loudly it’s almost deafening and Kihyun wonders if he’s alright when he starts laughing so hard no sound comes from his mouth. Several attempts at speaking are interrupted by fits of giggles, but the words coming out of Hoseok’s mouth when he stops laughing are not amused at all: “You’ve never been my friend.”

All the air in Kihyun’s lungs leaves him in one big rush, and he gapes at Hoseok, eyes almost popping out of their place in shock.  
“You just used me. You didn’t like me at first, you wanted to kill me for even laying my eyes on Minhyuk. And then, suddenly you were interested in me? Why that?”  
Kihyun gapes, not able to formulate a response, his mind trying to wrap itself around Hoseok’s sudden outburst.

“And you were oh-so convincing! I actually believed you really cared for me, I really did. What an idiot,” Hoseok’s tone is self deprecating, bitterness seeping in his voice, octaves raising until he’s on the verge of yelling angry words at Kihyun.  
“The sex! Good, amazing even. That’s what all of this was about, right? Having someone to fill up the void inside your poor, damaged, empty heart. It didn’t matter that you hurt someone else in the process, right? To Kihyun, all that matters is himself.”  
Hoseok is standing up now, pacing back and forth through the living room, his attention completely turned away from the man still standing there in a dumbfounded silence.

“And you come back to apologize too! Ha, I guess your dear friend Yoongi didn’t tell you he let your secrets slip.”  
The sharp intake of breath Kihyun takes in surprise makes Hoseok finally turn in his direction, his expression nothing like Kihyun ever saw on his face before.

“So he really didn’t! Guess what Kihyun, everything’s out in the open now. No more games.”  
“I’ve never played any games,” Kihyun whispers, but it’s barely loud enough for him to hear it and Hoseok doesn’t register it over the sound of his rage.

“You really liked playing me like a stupid doll, when all you were trying to do was fill the hole in your heart, right? Because, oh look, poor Kihyun, his soulmate doesn’t love him back.”  
Kihyun realizes he started crying when he hears the loud sobs coming out from his own lips. He wonders for how much time tears have been staining his cheeks without him acknowledging their presence and then he covers his face with his hands when he feels Hoseok’s eyes on him. He feels useless and pathetic, all of Hoseok’s words cutting deep wounds on his skin because, well, his soulmate is right and he’s an unlovable dick.

“Ki… Kihyun,” Hoseok’s voice is softer, calling his name like he used to do when everything was good, before Kihyun ruined it all. The older man takes a step closer, but Kihyun sobs harder, peeking at him between his fingers and taking a step back towards the wall.  
“I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry about your soulmate,” the blond says, and Kihyun doesn’t understand what he’s talking about. His soulmate is standing there right before him, talking in third person about himself?

“W-w-what are you talking about?” he manages to ask, tears still falling from his eyes and loud whimpers shaking his body. Hoseok seems confused by the question, his eyebrows narrowing over his eyes. Kihyun can see even through the tears that his anger evaporated at the sight of him weeping like a baby.  
“Yoongi told me your soulmate doesn’t love you back.”  
Hoseok tries again to get closer, extending one hand in Kihyun’s direction, but Kihyun takes several steps back, the idea of being touched by Hoseok too scary at the moment. He sobs pathetically in his hands, his back finally hitting the wall and he sags a little against it.

“Why are you talking like that?” Kihyun demands through his tears, trying to will his heartbeat and breaths to slow down. He scrubs at his eyes with his fists, still unable to stop the whimpers that wreak his body.  
“I’m sorry for yelling,” Hoseok whispers, chewing on his bottom lip, his eyes searching Kihyun’s face with concern written in them. Kihyun can’t believe Hoseok still cares about him after all the shitty things he did.

“That’s… that’s not it. Why are you talking about my soulmate like that?”  
Hoseok eyebrows shoot up in confusion, his mouth opening on words that don’t come out of his mouth.

“Yoongi… He told me?”  
“He told you what?”  
“That your soulmate doesn’t love you back.”  
“That’s it?”

Hoseok nods curtly, probably remembering that he’s supposed to be mad at Kihyun given that he crosses his arms over his chest and plants his feet into the carpet, still some steps away from Kihyun, who’s now leaning against the wall.  
“That’s it. I suppose your soulmate is a heartless idiot who’ve never felt love in his life and that’s why you tried to forget them with me.”

“The fuck did you just say?” Kihyun almost chokes on his own tongue in his haste to understand what the fuck Hoseok is talking about. The blond seems even more confused at Kihyun’s rushed words.  
“That your soulmate is a heartless idiot? Well I suppose it’s true,” Hoseok pauses when Kihyun giggles, the ghost of a smile pulling at the corners of his lips when he notices the brunette has finally stopped crying. “I don’t know them and I don’t want to offend anyone, but they seem horrible.”

The laughter that escapes Kihyun’s lips is half amused and half exasperated, and he has to take one big breath to stop his heart from escaping his body through his throat when he makes a beeline for Hoseok with insecure steps. Hoseok stands there in stunned silence, his eyes following Kihyun’s movements but his body remaining still in fear of scaring Kihyun away.  
“What are you doing?” he asks when Kihyun is finally standing before him, his head tilted to the side and his forefinger pointing at a little white tattoo behind his ear. Hoseok’s vision swims for a second, his eyes going out of focus before he can understand what he’s looking at.

“I guess the joke’s on you and you really are an idiot,” Kihyun states, his eyes closed to not see the disappointment he’s sure is showing on Hoseok’s face. He squeezes his eyelids together and holds onto the hope that maybe, just maybe, everything will be alright in the end, that the universe knows what it’s doing. The silence that stretches in the room is unsletting, but Kihyun doesn’t have the guts to look at Hoseok, his brain screaming at him for suddenly being so dramatic. He can feel Hoseok’s eyes burning holes through his skin and he hears when his breath catches in his throat, probably because he’s finally realized what he’s looking at. Hoseok touches the skin behind his ear with a tentative finger and Kihyun can’t keep his eyes closed anymore, curiosity eating him alive. What he sees when he fixes his gaze on Hoseok’s face is not what he was expecting.

“Hyung? Are you crying?” he asks, the horrified question coming out of his mouth before he can stop himself. Hoseok sniffles, his fingers still stroking Kihyun’s tattoo, the struggle to hold tears in evident on his face.  
“I’m not,” he says, but Kihyun just scoffs at him as the blond sniffles a little more.

“Why are you crying now?”  
“I don’t understand,” Hoseok mumbles, little droplets slowly starting to fall from his eyes. Kihyun’s insides twist at the sight, the idea of hurting his soulmate more than he already did making him feel nauseous. He lifts his hand, trying to wipe the wetness from Hoseok’s cheeks with the sleeve of his hoodie.

“What do you not understand? It’s your tattoo. You’re my soulmate.”  
“But,” Hoseok takes a long breath, his eyes still fixed on the patch of skin were the bunny is inked, “But why did you… Why?” he asks through his tears, Kihyun still comforting him with soothing touches.

“I’m sorry for running away. I was scared! You said that you didn’t get any new tattoos, so I panicked. I just should have told you back then.”  
Kihyun takes Hoseok’s face between his hands, stroking his thumbs gently over his cheeks. The blond leans into the touch, his eyes still shining with unshed tears.  
“I don’t care if you don’t have a tattoo. You’re my soulmate and I should have told you a long time ago.”

“But I do?” Hoseok mumbles, his words coming out of his mouth like an uncertain question. Kihyun raises his eyebrows at that, his hands falling at his side as he takes a step back in surprise.  
“W-what?!”  
“I do have your tattoo! I thought that was the reason you run away! I thought you saw the tattoo before I did and you didn’t love me back so you…” Hoseok pauses, his mouth opening and closing a couple of times but no words escaping it, realization of what he just said hitting him like a punch in the face. Kihyun’s looking at him with his eyes so wide they might pop out of their orbits anytime now. They stand there, Hoseok’s panicky eyes looking anywhere but at Kihyun while the younger is still staring at him as if he just sprout two more heads.

“I love you too.”  
It’s Hoseok’s turn to look at Kihyun like he’s an alien entity with more limbs than strictly necessary. The chuckle escaping Kihyun’s lips is the happiest sound Hoseok’s ever heard in his whole life. Kihyun takes the small step separating them and cups Hoseok’s neck to angle his blonde head towards him.

“I love you, you big idiot. I really do,” he hesitates, warm gaze slipping from Hoseok’s eyes to his lips and back up, “But please don’t cry or I will too,” he adds noticing the shining light in his soulmate’s eyes.  
Hoseok dips his head down to leave a soft peck on Kihyun’s lips, but the tears threatening to fall are stronger than his will to send them back where they’re coming from and soon he’s sobbing between Kihyun’s arms.

“Is this happy crying or did you just realize that you’re stuck with me for the rest of your life?” Kihyun tries to joke, but Hoseok can clearly hear his voice quivering. He hides his face in Kihyun’s neck and tries to calm down, but his emotions are running wild and all he can do is wet Kihyun’s shirt with salty water. Kihyun hugs him tighter, one of his hand stroking his back in a comforting motion Hoseok is so familiar with, his own arms worming their way around KIhyun’s tiny waist to bring him closer and closer until there’s no breathing room between their bodies.

“Guys? Are you alright?” Hyungwon asks from the entrance door, his eyes shining with barely contained amusement and probably a little bit of drunkness from what Kihyun can see. The tall man crosses the entire apartment with decisive strides, hugging both of his friends in his long arms when he gets to them.  
“Are we having a sappy moment?” he demands, resting his cheek on top of Kihyun’s head.  
  
“We?”  
“It’s we now. I love you guys so much. I’m so happy.”  
  
“How much did you drink, you tall noodle?” Hoseok asks, his voice muffled by Kihyun’s skin but mirth clear in his tone.  
“Just enough to make things fun, Seokkie, you should now I’m a responsible boy.”  
“Seokkie?”  
  
“Shut up Kihyun, it’s a cute nickname. At least I don’t call him hyung just to get his dick hard.”  
“I’ve never done that!” Kihyun squeals, but Hyungwon just hugs them tighter to shut them up.  
“I don’t care what you do, as long as I’ll never get to see your dick again.”  
  
“Hyungwon, go to sleep,” Hoseok tells him, nudging him in his chest with a pointed elbow. Hyungwon doesn’t take the hint, he just adjusts his grip on his friends and gets more comfortable in his place.  
“Did he really just fall asleep while standing?”  
“It wouldn’t be the first time. Let’s put him to bed.”  
  
They manage to escape Hyungwon’s embrace while still keeping him upright, and Hoseok lifts him up to carry him to his room. Hyungwon’s only response is a light snore. Kihyun chuckles under his breath, following Hoseok down the hallway to Hyungwon’s room and helping him in removing Hyungwon’s shoes and tucking him in under the covers.  
“I really love you guys,” he mumbles quietly, and then he’s back to his coma.

“I think I should go now,” Kihyun shuffles his feet over the floor, his gaze downcast as he follows Hoseok towards the living room once again. Hoseok calls his name in a soft whisper and Kihyun’s eyes fly up in immediate response, realizing the blond is closer than he expected.  
  
“Goodnight,” Hoseok says and then he kisses Kihyun briefly, just a touch of his lips over Kihyun’s before he’s gone. Kihyun follows him, his hands grabbing Hoseok’s shirt to stop his escape and kiss him again, his teeth tugging at Hoseok’s bottom lip until he gives in and open his mouth to kiss Kihyun properly.  
“Goodnight, hyung,” Kihyun exhales when Hoseok is kissing his jaw, grazing his teeth over the skin there. The blond groans loudly at that, biting on Kihyun’s ear before letting him go.  
  
“Sleep well. We’ll talk more tomorrow, ok? Maybe over a cup of coffee.”  
“Are you asking me out on a date?” Kihyun quips and Hoseok giggles before giving him one last peck and guiding him towards the door.  
“I might, if you say yes.”  
“Yes.”

 

*

 

“What is it? Do I have something on my face?”

Kihyun shakes his head from side to side in a slow movement, his eyes still glued to Hoseok’s face like they were magnetised by it. His head is cocked to the side and he’s clutching a mug of mocha in his hands to warm them up. His gaze is burning holes through Hoseok’s skull.

“What is it then?”  
“Can't I just stare at my soulmate? Is it inappropriate?” He hides a cheeky grin behind the rim of his cup, hot coffee swirling in it.  
Hoseok’s ears turns slightly pink and he has to lower his gaze before the need to lean over the table and kiss Kihyun on his stupid mouth becomes unbearable. He chews on the straw of his iced coffee instead, tapping his fingers on the plastic cup at the same time.

“Are you flirting with me? Can you stop? My heart can’t take it. Also, you’ve seen me naked already there’s no need to try and charm my pants off.”  
“Your ears are so pink, I want to kiss them! Can I kiss them?”

“Kihyunnie,” Hoseok whines, his ears boiling hot under the younger’s gaze.  
“You’re no fun,” Kihyun juts his lower lip out in a little pout, his eyes growing big in a perfect kicked puppy face. Hoseok just rolls his eyes at his antics, slurping cold coffee like his life depends on it. He’s actually pondering about a question he wants to ask since Kihyun talked about how he discovered his tattoo and how he thought running away was the right thing to do. They’ve been sitting at a table in Hoseok’s favourite cafè for more than a hour now and they’ve already drunk one cup of coffee each. Maybe caffeine wasn’t the right choice, because Hoseok is feeling jittery and he’s scared Kihyun will hide behind his walls if he asks this. Still, curiosity killed the cat.

“Kihyunnie? Can I ask you something?”  
“Shoot,” Kihyun answers, planting his elbows on the table and leaning forward, decreasing the space between their faces.

“When you… When you were talking about. Before. When you said…”  
“Hoseok. Relax,” Kihyun nudges his knee against Hoseok’s, the brief contact making the blond jump up in surprise. Kihyun just chuckles at his reaction.  
“I’m here. I’m answering your questions. I’m not running away anymore.”

Hoseok takes a long breath before talking again.  
“There’s a reason why… a reason why you were scared of telling me about the tattoo? Because I’m pretty sure you I was making heart eyes at you for some time and you could tell I liked you. A lot. Which is still true, I like you a lot.”  
Kihyun’s eyes don’t become icy as Hoseok thought they would, he just sags in his seat, his expression resigned as if he was expecting this question but he’s dreading answering it. One of his hands scratches at the side of his neck, his gaze moving around the place, discomfort evident on his face.

“You don’t have to…”  
“I have to though. You should know why I’m such a useless mess.”  
“You’re not.”  
“I am. And,” Kihyun focuses his eyes back on Hoseok, his lips curving in a sweet smile that makes Hoseok’s heart jump in his chest, “I like you too.”  
Kihyun’s grin fades as he gets more comfortable in his seat, taking a long sip of his forgotten coffee before opening his mouth again.

“Ok, let’s make it short. There was a boy, in high school. It was my first day and I was looking for Minhyuk because we got separated at the entrance. At one point I thought I saw him through the crowd so I shouted ‘Lee Minhyuk!’ real loud and an older student answered for him instead.”  
Kihyun takes another sip from his cup and makes a grimace, maybe because the coffee is now lukewarm, maybe because he’s remembering something unpleasant, Hoseok is not sure.

“His name was Lee Minhyuk, too. He was three years older than me and he was my first gay crush. Sadly, he was not gay, at all. When I confessed to him he laughed in my face and told me I should have gone to some kind of psychologist.”  
“That’s fucked up.”  
Kihyun hums in agreement, his hands fidgeting with the cup in his hands, spinning it over and over again until Hoseok stops him by capturing the mug and his small hands in both of his. The smile illuminating Kihyun’s face is more than he was hoping for.

“He was always nice, it seemed like he liked me, he always asked me to hang out, but I misunderstood the signals. He was hot, I was young. And from that moment on I was always scared of… showing how I felt?”  
Hoseok pries the cup from Kihyun’s hands, interlacing their fingers together and giving him one gentle squeeze to show him he’s listening and he understands.  
“Yoongi was the first person that confessed to me and well… this is maybe a story for another time. But I was horrible back then too and I’m still not sure why he forgave me and is my friend now.”

“It’s your pretty face,” Hoseok jokes, and Kihyun smiles again, the real smile Hoseok has grown to love over time, the one where the dimples under his eyes show up.  
“Do you think I’m pretty? Who’s flirting now?”

“I think you’re smoking hot. You shouldn’t wear eyeliner in public, it makes you look so sexy I want you to fuck me in the toilet of this pg-rated cafè.”  
“Hoseok!” Kihyun hisses, hiding his blushing face behind both of his hands. He kicks lightly at Hoseok’s shin under the table and the blond pretends he’s been mortally wounded.

“So, the black squirrel on your shoulder?”  
Kihyun resurfaces from his embarrassment, the apples of his cheeks still shining in a bright pink colour, and he nods lightly.  
“Yeah, it was his tattoo. It was a long time ago but it kinda ruined my whole love life. I’m really glad I met you, hyung. And I’m kinda happy you fell in love with Minhyuk first, because you showed me how you shouldn’t be afraid of your own feelings.”

“I’m glad you learned something out of my spectacular failure.”  
“Well, you found me in the end. Is that a failure?”  
“It’s my biggest win.”

“You know what would be an even bigger win, though? If I fucked you in the toilet of this pg-rated cafè and we didn’t get caught.”  
Kihyun’s smile is wicked and Hoseok’s mind is swirling, his heart in his throat. He’s asking himself if he’ll ever get used to Kihyun looking at him like he’s the only thing he’s seeing in the middle of a crowded coffee, like he’s the most important thing in the whole world and there’s nothing else he would rather look at. The answer is probably no. His gaze is so intense it makes hot want boil in Hoseok’s stomach, the need to jump over the table and stick his tongue down Kihyun’s throat so strong his hands twitch at his sides.

“Let’s try to get this win, then.”

 

*

 

“This shit has to end.”  
“The fuck are you talking about?”  
“All of this! It has to end! I’m tired of this shit!”  
  
“Minnie, you’re so fucking dramatic.”  
“I’m not dramatic, this is disgusting! I’m tired! You can’t do this every single day and pretend it’s normal!”  
“Here’s your Oscar, fuck off and go back where you came from.”  
  
“You guys are the fucking worst, I can’t believe you’re doing this again!”  
Minhyuk stands with his arms crossed over his chest, the noise of his left foot tapping on the floor covering the voices coming from the TV playing a cheesy drama behind his back. If looks could kill, the men sitting on the couch before him would be already in their graves.

“Shut the fuck up. It’s my birthday, I can do what I want.”  
“It’s not even your birthday, you ungrateful dick! We’re a week away from it!”  
  
“Well, it’s gonna be my birthday soon so I can do what i want. I came to your birthday party and we got so drunk I forgot where my room was! What do you want now?!”  
“I want you to fight me, little bitch.”  
  
“I’m gonna rip your head off, call me little another time…”  
“You’re a tiny demon, you’re fun-sized! You’re ridiculous!”  
“And you’re fucking dead.”  
  
“Kihyun…” Hoseok holds Kihyun back by his arm, while the younger is already on his feet, ready to pin his best friend to the ground and fight him until death. Minhyuk has assumed his boxer stance even if he can’t throw a punch for the sake of him.  
“Guys, calm down. I still can’t believe you haven’t killed each other in all these years without someone standing between you.”  
Kihyun growls low in his throat as if he was an actual feral beast ready to pounce and detach Minhyuk’s limbs from his body. Minhyuk snarls at him, showing his teeth and snapping them loudly.

“You’re both scaring me,” Hoseok announces, tugging at Kihyun’s arm until the brunette is seated on the couch next to him, still staring daggers at his best friend.

“He’s the one who started it.”  
“What are you, five?” Minhyuk jabs, going back to his disappointed stance in which he just stands before the TV and looks at his friends like an upset parent.  
“Five are the seconds I’m giving you before I smash your skull open.”

“Kihyun!” Hoseok puts an arm around Kihyun’s waist to stop him from making his threats reality.  
“Minhyukkie, we talked about it! Kihyun agreed that you organized his birthday party next week and you promised you would let him stay in tonight. Do you remember?”

“But before that he promised he would come to the wine tasting with me!”  
“I didn’t know it was this week! You never told me the date! Why are you being so difficult, Hyungwon already agreed to go with you.”

“I want my best friend to come with me! You don’t love me anymore.”  
“Minnie, c’mon stop saying bullshit! I just want to have one nice night in with my boyfriend, is that too much to ask for?”

Hoseok grins despite himself, the corner of his lips lifting up on their own at the mention of the ‘boyfriend’ word. It’s been months, but he still can’t believe Kihyun has started calling him that. Sometimes he even introduces him as his soulmate and Hoseok’s heart starts beating wildly in his chest every single time.  
Minhyuk deflates a little, his infamous pout making an appearance on his pretty face. Kihyun groans in defeat.

“I’m sorry for yelling, I know you feel lonely because Jooheon is in America for his trip, but I spent with you the last ten days. You even showered with me, we haven’t showered together since kindergarten, Minhyuk. Don’t you think you’re being a little too clingy?”  
The white-haired man pouts a little more, but then he takes a couple of steps towards the entrance door and nods his head up and down like an excited puppy.

“I still can’t believe you let me shower with you,” he giggles, his excitement resurfacing in a heartbeat, as if he wasn’t screaming bloody murder at his best friend until two seconds before.

“You picked the lock of the bathroom!” Kihyun affirmed, his exhausted tone making Hoseok laugh under his breath.  
“It was fun! Ok, you’re right, I should leave you two alone for some time because if I don’t you’ll probably slit my throat while I’m asleep.” The sound of the doorbell makes Minhyuk turn around and skip towards the door, opening it on Hyungwon’s surprised face.

“What the fuck guys, I could hear you scream all the way to our apartment! Is everything alright?”  
“Peachy,” Kihyun deadpans, his eyebrows raising at the sight of Minhyuk throwing condoms at his face out of his pocket.  
“Minhyuk, this joke became old the third time you made it.”  
“To me it’s still funny! Practice safe sex kids!”

The loud thud of the door behind his back covers Hyungwon’s goodbye and brings peace back into the living room. Kihyun sighs, stretching his spine and his neck, and then falls back on the sofa, his head on Hoseok’s tigh, his body curled up in a little ball at his boyfriend’s side. Hoseok has his legs on the coffee table and is running his finger through Kihyun’s hair, his nails scratching his scalp from time to time, making Kihyun purr like a little kitten. He turns his head around from time to time, kissing Hoseok’s fingers when he’s not expecting it and making him giggle, his gummy smile spreading happiness into the room. They’re both facing the TV, the drama still playing, even if it’s an episode they’ve already watched together some time ago. Kihyun nuzzles his face on Hoseok’s leg, leaving a loud kiss on his sweatpants and making Hoseok laugh harder.

“What is so funny?” Kihyun asks, even if he already knows the answer. It has become a habit for them, this question and the answer that follows. It reminds Kihyun of worse times, but it makes his chest fill with a warm feeling now, whenever he hears Hoseok’s words spoken with the utmost sincerity.  
“Nothing. You just make me happy.”

“You too,” Kihyun turns around and captures Hoseok’s hand in his, kissing the skin of his wrist where he can feel his heartbeat, “The happiest.”  
“Sappyyyy,” Hoseok sing-songs, and Kihyun is on his knees in a heartbeat, trying to push Hoseok off the couch with all the strength in his body. Hoseok just laughs at him, sitting still in his place, one of those situation where an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. Kihyun tries to kick him down, but it seems his struggle isn’t enough. He takes a breath, flipping down on his stomach on the couch, resting his chin over Hoseok’s tigh and looking at him through his lashes. He wets his lips once, then twice, and watches Hoseok’s eyes follow the movement.

“Hyung, can I suck your dick?”  
Hoseok gapes at him, his brain short-circuiting for a brief moment, but it’s all it takes for Kihyun to push him off the couch. He lands on the floor with a loud noise, hitting his tailbone on the floor and making Kihyun erupt in delighted giggles.

“That’s foul play! I can’t believe you!” he laments, Kihyun looking at him with sparkly eyes from his higher position on the sofa cushion.  
“You should know I play dirty by now.”

“I prefer when you talk dirty.”  
“I can do both.”  
“Guess what?” Hoseok grabs Kihyun and drags him down to the floor, directly in his lap, “I can play dirty too.”  
Kihyun straddles his legs and smiles up at him, putting his arms around Hoseok’s neck and tilting his head to the side.

“Can you, hyung? But you’re not bad, right?” he asks, inching closer to Hoseok’s face, pressing his ass on his crotch and making Hoseok’s breath itch in his throat. “You’re a good boy. A very good boy.” He whispers the last words in Hoseok’s ear, mouthing at it and biting softly at it, running his tongue through the cold metal of the piercings. Hoseok exhales slowly, his heartbeat going frantic while Kihyun follows his favourite path down his neck, leaving little kisses down the road. Hoseok tilts his head to make space for him, lets him take the lead, lets him graze his teeth over his Adam’s apple, Kihyun’s pointed nose digging in his skin not bothering him at all.

“Hyung?” Kihyun calls out quietly, when he’s kissing his jaw and he’s near the corner of his mouth. Hoseok hums in acknowledgment, his eyes trying to look at Kihyun even if he’s too near to not be blurred.

“I love you so much,” Kihyun says, nosing at Hoseok’s neck, breathing the words on his skin as though he wants them to be impressed on his skin. The words won’t be inked there, but the little white shark on Hoseok’s lower back is there to stay, and its meaning is exactly the same.

“I love you too,” Hoseok kisses the white bunny behind Kihyun’s ear, making the brunette giggle. Kihyun finds his lips then, pressing a dry kiss to them, soft skin against soft skin in what seems like a promise for the rest of their lives. Another giggle escapes Kihyun when Hoseok bites on his lower lip, tugging it in his mouth and sucking on it until Kihyun’s whining and pushing him down on the floor by his shoulders. Hoseok complies, lying down and fisting Kihyun’s shirt in his hand to bring him down too. They kiss slowly, Kihyun swiping his tongue inside Hoseok’s mouth like he has all the time in the world to do so, to bite his lips, suck hickeys on his soft skin, drag his soft lips over Hoseok’s neck and breath lovely words against his pulse point. Hoseok kisses him back, pouring all of his feelings in the way he licks into Kihyun’s mouth, drags his teeth over Kihyun’s skin to make him shiver, leaves feathery kisses wherever he can reach. With Kihyun there, looking at him through hooded eyes, filled with want, but mostly with love, Hoseok knows he hit the jackpot.

* 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The titles of the chapters are lyrics from I like you by Day6!
> 
> You can come scream at me on [tumblr](http://lobmaze.tumblr.com/) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/kihoxbebe/) :)


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